Not Weak, Just Stronger
by RunninOnCrazy
Summary: An occurrence that would make most weak, take away their sanity and cause them to fall apart, just made her a stronger, wiser and tougher fighter. he stood by and proudly cheered her on while this little caged cub became a full grow wild and beautiful panther. But can he keep his feelings for her tamed? CMxAJ, others involved: Kaitlyn, Sheamus, Eve, John Cena.
1. Blown Away

Hello all. And if you've clicked this, Welcome to my first story!

First is first,** I own nothing!**

Second, I based this story mainly around an event that is sensitive and is rated M for a reason. It has its comedic and dramatic moments, but this first chapter is graphic. Which means if you are not a fan of content with strong violence, sex or profanity, don't read.

_**Third: Not Beta'd! I repeat, Not Beta'd.**_

A.J. is the main character. Punk is her pairing partner and the story will involve various ships throughout the timeline given. I have started my writing point after the events of WWE's No Way Out after A.J. helped CM Punk win (She did okay. But honestly, who's complaining?) and I'm breaking the real life wall, so no crazy A.J., Kaitlyn is still her best friend and Eve isn't an evil people power loving Hoeski.

So enjoy!

* * *

From 11:43-11:47.

The fences that protected the innocence and happiness in her world were blown away and destroyd in three minutes. And it wasn't even her fault. It wasn't a wrong place-wrong time situation. The person who did this to her might not have known what he was doing. He picked her for a reason, reasons beyond her control. _Why_ he decided to do this to her was something she was never going to understand.

It was a great night at work. Well, it's great when you're a WWE diva (still) in training, but on the rise to being the best. And her work was done since she did was she had to do for the night.

Greeted a crowd in her home state with a ton of thank yous and a shit load of autographs: Check.

Did her hair and make-up: Check.

Laced up her knee-high converses and find a cute outfit: Check.

Dramatically hit the floor when Kane bumps into her and help CM Punk retain his title: best check yet.

Make the fans think she'd gone from geek goddess to crazy bitch: Check well done times three.

She was done working finally. She got the chance to hug and kiss the family over lunch earlier that day and they sat front row, enjoying the Pay Per View. Not that everyone was happy and the night was up, she looked forward to her night out with her best friend, tons of food, and a serious Dave and Buster's night with some of the other superstars on her side.

Everything was okay until she locked eyes with this man. A man who'd somewhat paid attention to her and was nice to her. He respected her as a woman and acknowledged her way before she got storylines or ring action on Smackdown. But tonight, something was off about him. As she walked up to the locker room to prepare, he just watched her. With his eyes, head and body movement, he studied her with this weird feature of gloominess on his face. He suddenly had an depressing ball of energy around him and she took notice. She didn't understand it, but she didn't pay any mind to it.

She should have.

When A.J. came back to her hotel, she changed out her clothes and sat around, waiting for Kaitlyn to meet with her, who was late. She guessed he was either flirting with someone or fighting with Maxine or Rosa at the arena. Either way she was late, which made her decision to head to the lobby and wait for her easy. She was ready to leave and when she opened the door, he was standing there. He just forcefully walked into her room as if she was waiting for him to arrive. So she just said hello and stood up to leave, but his hands reached the lock and turned it, she took step back. This didn't freak her out completely. He's always been a fear-tactic and egotistical person, but her joker. This was probably a joke or prank from the roster to welcome her in. It's been almost a year since she's been on the brand and it was a little late for pranks. Also, pranks are supposed to be done at the arena, not off the arena area. Something wasn't right.

He walked forward and closer as her heart started to race, seeing the red in his eyes and smelling alcohol on his breath. Something was off and now she was getting nervous. She tried to move passed him carefully while reasoning with him. That's when everything went wrong.

His grip was strong, vigorous and painful on her skinny arms. He hauled himself closer to her and kept his eyes locked on her and those eyes trailed up and down her petite body. "What are you doing-"

"Shut up!" she jumped at the boom in his voice because it petrified her. It terrified her. She's never been handled like this and didn't know what to do. "You know you want this. You want it from a superstar! Is that it?"

His lips forcefully landed on hers and she screeched against him, kicking and squirming in his arms, and once he yanked away quickly, his hands made a mark on her face after hitting her. "Is that it, huh? I'm supposed to be the top champ! I'm supposed to be the star! I should have all the attention." She fell to the ground and she held onto her face, eyeing the door which started to look too far away to reach. She started cry as his foot connected with her ribs and when he leaned over her, picking her up again and throwing her against the bed, he kept his hands around her neck, inhibiting her from screaming for help.

"Why are you getting all the attention? Look at you, you're fucking pathetic! You're not attractive, and you're weak. But you're a star now? You get more attention than I do? That's stupid." she just closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them, someone would come for her or helps her. Waiting for someone, anyone, to hear them. He was shouting, throwing her around and beating her up with this reckless aggression. She felt her body going numb.

Nothing happened. No one pounded on the door and tried to break it down. No one tried to help her. When her hearing started to slow down, she could hear her heart pound through her ears while this man tore her clothes right off her small body. And she tried to break from him as he kept a tighter grip on her neck. "Please…" he stopped and she let a tear fall from her eyes. "Let me go. Don't do this." She spoke slowly with pleading eyes. But she saw the sadistic smirk on his face and knew her words, her pleads for her life, meant nothing to him.

"Don't worry." He caressed her face and she shook her head violently, and before he could continue, he turned her head and leaned into her ear, saying the worlds that would haunt her forever. "I just want to see what makes you so special." He punched her ribs again, causing her ribs to rise up and loose the grip on her tightly closed legs.

He forced her legs open and pushed his hand over her mouth, she felt him roughly continued to violate her sexually. She screamed so loud that it burned her throat to do so. He kept talking to her aggressively and she noticed the clock on the nightstand, watching it change from 11:43 to 11:45 and feeling nothing at all. She wanted it to be over so she watched the clock, waiting for it to change and move faster.

But it didn't. She felt completely helpless and overpowered. The pain was so much and once the clock hit 11:46, she stopped screaming and crying, watching everything fade in and out when he finished, said his final words to her then he left her alone, bloody battered and broken. At 11:47, he just stumbled out of the room, leaving a crack in the door and leaving her where he left her, she struggled to talk without any sound leaving her lips.

Everything around her felt wet and cold when she was passed out. When she was able to wake up for a few seconds, she hear voices calling her name and saw a face that she loved to look at, telling her they were with her. But they looked down at her with pain and disgust in there faces, knowing something wrong couldn't be prevented.

Someone took her virtue, her self-respect and everything important to her when it was all said and done.

He took away some many pieces of her in three minutes. Pieces that are going to picked up for a long time.

* * *

So...how'd I do?

Next chapter: The people that are close to A.J., along with the one's who barely know her, all meet and get caught in the aftermath


	2. Dark Clouds Above

** FF dot NET! WHAT'S UP! **

**I want to take the time to comment and thank all of you for your reviews and comments. I got a alot of heat from the story so I can't wait to write more and for you guys to love it. I love feeback so as Alex Riley would say: Say is to my face, at the bottom of the story. Duh!**

**Anyway, I'm sticking with the core pairs here as they are introduced, and I'm leaving the who done it for the next few chapters. **

**Excuse the errors if any and none of the thing here are mine. If they were, AJ and CM Punk would have to plan a Vegas wedding that will happen in a drive thru church on next week's Raw and Daniel would have gotten that slap a LONG TIME AGO!**

* * *

**_One Hour After The NO WAY OUT PPV_**

Kaitlyn knew better than to do this to AJ. Road friends don't keep other friends waiting alone to sit around and flirt with a guy.

"Come on gorgeous." She rolled her eyes and turned back to him, letting her hands lock with his. "I need someone to wait with me. At least till me car comes in. One drink is all I'm askin'. Yer room is right upstairs from the bar. It's not gonna take long." And if it wasn't weird enough, she was flirting with the Heavyweight champion Sheamus. It's a shocker to her too but she wasn't reject the idea completely. He's hot, physically as a man with fire red hair and unique pale skin, and intellectually with his words of wisdom. Plus hearing that Irish accent; sexy times ten.

But this was typical Stephen. He been distracting her and trying to get her to step out with him but other than that, he practically ignored her. It was flattering that the Irish born champ wanted to hang out with her all of a sudden, seeing as the flirting was on a 'Hey, hot stuff; later sweet cheeks' bases, but tonight was supposed to be all about AJ and about keeping up her end of the bargain. Food, drinks and showing the boys who's boss in Dance Central Arcade.

"You said that last time and I missed my que. And all we did was talk at the coffee table." She chuckled and smirked sarcastically, still trying to pry herself away. He grinned and let go of her hand, then proceeded to walk with her towards the shuttle bus.

Sheamus knew he needed to try harder with this woman. Kaitlyn was certainly interesting in his eyes. She was different from the other women. Most of them worry about whether or not they were sexy enough for the fans and dreamed of being on the Maxim 100 like Kelly Kelly or Layla. But Kaitlyn was sexy, outspoken, corky and a clown. She really didn't care what people thought of her. And everyone witnessed her friendship with AJ grow since their NXT days. Sure they had some ups and downs once it was clear AJ was getting more time on TV time than her, but that didn't damaging their friendship completely.

In his opinion, they really need to stop giving Daniel girlfriends. Seriously, there's nothing attractive about him. He remembers him of those forest trolls his grandmother read to him about as a kid. If anyone should be causing the Bella Twins to fight for their attention or making AJ look crazier than Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, it should be him.

"Seriously Shea, I'm looking for A.J. You sure she went back to the hotel back here?" she asked while pulling her duffle bag on her shoulder.

"Yeah, she and Zack took the bus before us." She mouthed great and headed out the arena. They seemed to be the last people group there along with Natalya who was talking to Tyson, Titus O' Neil and Darren Young who seemed to be in a deep discussion with Jimmy and Jey Uso and some of the other talent that happened to be sleeping or reading. "I hope AJ knows she has competition." He said while walking with her. "I will get you to go out with me."

She turned to him and gave a blushing smile, not really answering and just as they continued on the bus, Daniel was yelling for her to hold to the door. She scoffed and she would have let it closed, but Sheamus stopped the driver. Kaitlyn gave Sheamus a glare and whispered 'really' and he struggled. "He could have rented a car. His ego would have more space." She crashed in the back of the bus and Sheamus took a seat next to her.

"Be nice Celeste." He said through his teeth with a grin and Daniel walked in. "Bryan Daniel." They shook hands as Daniel laughed, turning to Kaitlyn who just looked out the window.

"Hello Sheamus." He nodded at him and then Kaitlyn before taking a seat in the chair in front of her. "Kaitlyn, you're looking well."

She gave him a tight smile. "I wish I could say the same about you."

He shook his head and turned to her. "Honestly, Kat, you're a great athlete and your very attractive, but your attitude could use a minor adjustment." He turned back to the front and pulled out his iPad. "Maybe you'll be on Smackdown more if you did."

Her jaw tightened and she shook her head. "Yeah, maybe if I just begged the writers to have Kane kidnap me and AJ so you and Punk can come to our rescue, we'd trend on twitter for about two hours and have an article about us. What a dream come true that would be."

Natalya snickered and Daniel just snorted. "You know, I don't know what your problem is, but I had nothing to do with this story line. Nothing."

"Sure. So you didn't ask AJ out and take her out on a date, just so she would agree to do this with you? Then you didn't push her out of the way so you can be with Brie Bella?" Young and O'Neil instigated with sound. Just as Daniel was ready to respond, his phone rang and she smiled. "You better pick that up. You don't to piss off a lady we speak of."

"Fine. By the way, let AJ know I need to talk to her. She left before I could finish and she won't answer my text."

"Maybe because hearing Punk talk is like sweet music to everyone's ears." She chimed, making Daniel's anger visible once his hand slammed on the seat. "Hearing you talk is like translating what Vicki says after 'Excuse me!'" Sheamus tried not to smile and failed while Kaitlyn just grinned at her window.

Bringing up Punk to Daniel had been rubbing him all wrong, but making her feel much better. Those two hated one another in and out of the ring ever since their days in the independent circuit. (It hasn't tons to do with the face that even though both of them were great in IWA, Punk is still the star of the show in ECW and a fan favorite in the WWE. No matter what Daniel does, he's second place to the Straight-Edge athlete.) Along with the fact that he just lost a huge main event to the champion, she was obviously hitting a soft spot in his ego.

"Just tell her." He put his head phones in and called his girlfriend back and Kaitlyn threw up two thumbs.

"Yer one wicked princess Ms. Bonin." Sheamus said with a wicked smile as they rode the rest of the ride in silence.

* * *

**30 mins later**

"Man, did you see the look on her face? April looked sick in the end man." Kofi Kingston joked as he ate at hotel restaurant with R-Truth, Christian and CM Punk next to him. They sat around a table and had a late dinner while talking about what happened and their story lines. They did this almost after every dark show since they had time to travel in between. Some had to hop on a red eye to make an appearance the morning, some had time to sleep until the morning. Being on the road was very hectic, but they managed to bond and create a little road family. Even though some of them didn't always see eye to eye, they still tried to keep it together as a huge team and family.

"Yeah, it was crazy." Punk just shook his head and continued to eat. AJ was short, geeky, innocent and spunky outside of the ring, and having someone like her act like the chick from Swimfan was just funny. It didn't freak him out, it kind of humored him. She was taking her role in this storyline to a new level and adding her own creative spin, which is what the divas rarely did anymore. Most of them just read was handed to them. So having her show up ring side in his shirt (which was her idea) made things better for the storyline, and it also became the joke of the moment for everyone, even the main eventers.

"I mean, she was on the floor knocked out at one point, then when Kane picked her up, she as smiling at you." Truth brought up as Christian laughed, sipping his drink as Kofi imitated it. "It was crazy when she kissed him again though." Kofi coughed and Punk shook his head. "It was gross actually."

Christian chuckled with the guys. "I have to give it to her, she did crazy justice and the fans responded to this storyline well man. It's really all her man. She's good. Especially since you said 'I sorta dig crazy chicks.' They loved it all." They all burst into laughter as he copied him. "It got you another shirt that sold out by the way."

"You're lucky she not like that in real life man." Truth said. "She's better spunky than crazy."

"AJ's definitely a sweetheart. It just sucks that she wasted time with Daniel instead of being in action like the other girls or a top diva." Punk spoke up and Kofi nodded with him. "I would be surprised if they want to make her the next Kelly Kelly."

"Did you watch her on FCW man?" Truth whistled as Kofi talked. "Good. Really good. But no one believes in anyone that small."

"Same with Rey and look at his list of accomplishment." Punk continued. "And when you look what Amy and Trish had to say in their interviews about the Divas division. It's fading in the background, become three minutes filter for main events on the shows. Tonight, she did great against Beth while helping her warm up and yet, you'll never it unless you were there. Even getting rid of the Woman's Belt and keeping the Divas Belt made no sense. That belt has been around for years and the Divas belt just looks like a pretty designer handbag."

"Pimp-Bomb coming on dude?" Kofi asked and Punk shrugged.

"Vince doesn't care about the women here. Stephanie is the one keeping those girls busy." Christian added, leaning back with his hands rubbing his jeans. "I feel bad for all the kids in development waiting for a storyline just to get a chance in the ring."

"But without structure there's chaos. No one wants to see the era of WCW to return." Kofi said. "Hopefully, things will turn around."

"I hope so." Christian agreed. "But um…try to keep it in the ring Phil." The guys started to snickered and Punk just looked confused. "Yeah just keep that confused look and nothing more."

He looked over at the Peeps leader and just frowned more. "What's that mean?"

"We know how you are dude. Especially with the new younger girls here; we have very attractive roster."

Punk waved his hands around. "Dude, she's not my type."

"Oh come on, you barely know her!" Kofi said with both guys objecting with him. "She likes video games, comic books, she's outgoing, spunky, pretty, had a crappy life, busted her ass and empty her pockets to get here, all while being her true self. She's a petite version of you in progress."

"Doesn't mean I have to ask her out. We're working together."

"You worked with Beth." Christian added.

"And Maria…and Tracy." Truth reminded. "Who all hate you dude." Punk just rolled his eyes.

"Look on the bright side, only one of those relationships ended on a good note. You and Beth don't completely hate one another, you guys just don't talk...or she just won't talk to you." Kofi added with a shrugged shoulder. "The way I see it, they just couldn't handle the bluntness. Or your sense of jerk."

"It is a bit out there bro." Christian agreed with a grin, looking at his watch, he whistled at the time. Looking for his wallet, he snickered. "But I will say this. The next girl or woman to date you now is a keeper, especially if she can take the heat." Placing bills on the table, he shook hand with all of them and stood up. "Ron, we should get on the road now so we can get to Baltimore in the early morning."

"Oh yeah, you're driving first though, gotta flirt with the wife." Christian rolled his eyes and Truth paid also. "I'll see you guys Tuesday."

"Kiss some cheeks for me!" Punk yelled as they chuckled and walking away. He then turned back to his road wife as he grinned still. "What?"

"AJ is a really awesome woman." Kofi said while getting up.

"I know that, I work with her. I know the guy that trained her. She's cool."

"Really? How short is she Punk?" Punk was ready to respond quickly but had nothing to say. "Mmmm hmmm. And you don't really talk to her, you just talk." Kofi placed his dollars on the table and after they all paid, they walked out at the same time. Getting into the elevator of the hotel, he turned to him and bit his bottom pierced lip. "You've never had an issue with becoming friends with the other divas. You guys don't have to date. I would settle for being friends if there's something really happening with this story line. And even if it doesn't, having her as a friend in general won't kill you."

"Huh." Punk turned back and nodded. "Better to know something than nothing right?"

"Yeah man." he agreed. Punk thought about it for a second. If it was going to be involved in this lame attempt of making this petite talented Diva the new Lita for Kane or to someone's Edge in this feud, it doesn't hurt to get to know her a little bit more. It definitely doesn't hurt to stare at her before, during and after a match. He needs to make an effort.

"What floor is her room on?"

* * *

Eve didn't think this stupid 'People Power' thing would end, but now that it's finally over, two words haunted her: what now?

She didn't know what creative had planned for her, and she didn't know what it would mean for her career. All she could do was punching the sand out of a bag and sweat it out. That's going to be the only type of fighting action she was going to get.

After her meeting with Stephanie, Hunter, and the writers, she came back to the hotel and was felt disappointed. She couldn't grasp why the hell the Board would make John Laurinaitis the VP of Talent Relations when clearly, he was dumber than a box of rocks. Thank god for Hunter and his respect for the women in the company because to the universe, he has no clue what the fans want and to the talent, he has no idea how to treat them. She still hates him for having her play a slut on TV and hearing a fan say she was a whore hurt more than anything.

But playing a heel wasn't all that bad. She gets to see John Cena, (why was she thinking about that?) along with other talents more often and get more TV time. She did miss the promo tours and being in matches with the Divas. She wanted to be in the ring with Kelly and Beth again fighting for the title, she even wanted to show the rookies like Kaitlyn and AJ what she's all about and show them a thing or two.

Hopefully, tomorrow will show change in her future. Until then she was going to have to wait. Punching the bag it is.

"Woah." She stopped kicking at the bag as the face of the company walked in and she rolled her eyes. John Cena approached her slowly and she huffed with a smile, still kickboxing with the bag. "Rough day at the office honey?"

She tried so hard not to stare. He was basketball shorts, sneakers and a white tank, and his cologne blended with his natural scent that invaded her nose and he wasn't in a hat. He looked very hot, as always, but she tried not to pay attention to it. He was getting a divorce and she felt like he needed space away from anything with breast and a nice backside right now. "Hello John. How are you this evening?"

"I'm a little sore actually. John and Paul are really heavy." Eve stopped and turned to him, seeing him smile at her. Shit, that smile is going to get her in a world of trouble. Why does she like it so much? "Luckily I just have these two days of easy entertainment matches."

"Yeah lucky you." She said sarcastically, turning back to the bag. "You got to be…." She punched harder, "In the ring," then she kneed it, "with people. You don't have to just act all day long," another punch, "with a huge," she kneed and as she stepped back, "rusty," John stared at her with amusement. "tool!" she delivered a turning roundhouse kick to the bag and John stood back. She started breathing and placed a hand on her hips. John opening the cooler and passed her a bottle of water, making her grin when she took it. "Thanks. Be honest with me for a second."

"I think I can do that for you." She chuckled as they both headed for the door. John picked up her bag and opened the doors for her. She couldn't understand why he was being so nice to her, but she hoped he would keep it just at a flirtatious level. She didn't want to be a factor in his case no matter how much she liked him. As a friend of course.

"The company is in the crappier isn't it?" he laughed and she frowned at him. "John…"

"I think you wanted to ask me if you think your division is in the shithole." Eve rolled her eyes and pressed the button to the elevator. "I don't, but I don't think it's fair what they're doing for the woman here. You guys are more than just pretty faces and hot bodies to masturbate with."

Eve broke out into chuckles and John did also. "Oh My God."

"Oh, it's been my god too Eve. Believe me." She scoffed and he pushed their floors. "So, after you take a nice relaxing shower, you'll meet me for a drinks right?"

"Only girls with just a pretty face go out with John Cena."

"You forgot about the wet dream bodies." She rolled her tongue around her teeth and tried not to smile but failed. "One drink won't kill you."

"Going with you might." She joked and he faced her grinning. She knows that if John really wanted to date just anyone, he would. Who her is what she really wanted to know. "Besides, what happened to 'the lovely ladies'." Eve smiled, pushing the hair from her face as he rolled his eyes and neck.

"Eve that was a joke."

"It was a good one." The doors opened and Eve walked out having him follow her out. He gently grabbed her hand and pulled her a little closer. "John, I'm not going out with you."

"Why? We had fun the last time." She looked around them, hoping someone wouldn't catch them looking like this. John was at celebrity status and his divorce was in headlines, so being the co working he's sleeping with isn't a good look for her. "What are you so afraid of?"

Eve let out a small sigh and blushed a little. "Making this more than what it should be."

"Or what it _could_ be." The tone in his voice changed and they came closer, his warm breath caressing her face while her eyes trailed his muscles and his face. "Tell me you don't want to smack a wet pucker smooch on yea man right now." He joked with his lips puckered up and she giggled. She placed a finger over it and he opened his eyes.

"Goodnight John." She placed a kiss on his cheek and before she walked away, John swiftly grabbed her and planted one on her quickly, making her numb for a moment but then she wrapped her hands around his neck, returning the kiss and moaning against him.

Before she could pull away from this kiss, for what seemed to be the third time not counting the scene they had to do, a yelling sound interrupted them. John pulled away from her fast and Eve turned to see CM Punk looking at her with a huge smile on his face as he walked out the other elevator. He looked humored and Eve never disliked Punk for any reason except for that look.

"Wow." He said as he walked out and looked between John and Eve with a bright grin. While pointing at John's arm, he said, "Took you long enough. Zack was starting to make blueprints for the Torres dream house."

Eve scoffed as John shook his head. "Nothing's going on here man."

"Nothing at all."

Punk kept a confused glare as he nodded then shook his head with his mouth closed shut. "Well, kids," he started up, clapping his hands together as John just smiled upward and Eve tightened her jaw. "I know John wants to celebrate his latest rescue the people success. SO, if it doesn't happen now, it will happen soon. No need to rush, make sure you love her, use a condom, and you know the rest boys and gals."

"We were just talking _Phyillis_." Eve noted with her nickname for him as John just placed a hand over his grin.

"For now _Steve_." He said as Kaitlyn walked out of elevator with Daniel behind her. She waved at everyone, getting a hug and squeeze from John and Daniel just rushed off to his room, ear glued to his phone. Everyone just looked confused. "What's wrong? Someone eat all the grass from the garden before you!" Daniel turned quickly and flipped him off before walked into his room. "I thought Brie was smarter than she looked."

"Not so much." Kaitlyn shrugged.

"Hey is…"

"AJ in our room. Yes she is. And everyone and Brodus Clay's momma is looking for her so take a number." She answered in a dull voice as she turned to walk away to her room. "I'll tell her you're looking for her."

"Thanks." Everyone just stood there and Punk shrugged with Eve. "Must be the Jersey water." John frowned and Punk snapped out of it. "So, how happy are we that the 'Johnny the ruling tool' storyline is over?"

Eve smiled and John chuckled loudly. "Not only is Hunter Brock coming back, but the Big Show is going to Big Jerk for a long time. At least he's not the GM anymore. This whole broken brand thing will come to an end soon."

"Man I can't wait for this Brand thing to be over. Just doing this three hour Raw thing alone is going to be a lot to handle. I forgot what being on Smackdown was like." John said with a huge grin.

"Well, that means its back to the hectic traveling grid that the brands spilt didn't help. As if things couldn't get worst around here."

A loud, high pitched scream came for the end of the hall and everyone turned their attention to it. "Someone help please. OMG!" Noticing it was Kaitlyn's voice, Punk ran down to the room with Eva and John behind him. And after that, Daniel's door opened and he saw Punk brush past him so he ran out also.

When they all walked into the room, John halted himself instantly with shock on his face and Eve covered her mouth at the horror. Daniel and Punk both saw Kaitlyn sitting next to AJ's body on one bed, rocking her body from side to side and crying. AJ was wearing her bra and the lower body was covered with a sheet by her best friend. Her face had red marks and her once tan clear skin had been covered in bruises and with blood. They also noticed her clothes ripped and the room almost trashed.

"Holy..." John mouthed as he and Punk moved to the spot she laid. "What happened?"

"I found her like this. She won't wake up. She won't talk." Kaitlyn said through her tears and just looked down at her friend. "She has a pulse but it's slow." Punk took the sheets from the other bed and wrapped her upper body in them, then looked at Daniel and Eve, who just broke into tears. "I think her rubs are cracked cause the bruises are big, her wrist is swelling up. And she keeps coughing.."

"Eve, go and find Hunter. Bring him with you." She looked at the body still crying and John noticed how shook up she was. "Eve!" she snapped out of it and looked Cena. "Call or find John or Hunter, anyone from personnel and tell them what's wrong." She nodded and ran out the room as Daniel just ran his hands over his head.

"What's her pulse count?" Kaitlyn put a finger over her neck and counted when Daniel asked, using the hotel phone and calling downstairs front desk.

"One counts. It's so slow. And her breathing is rigid." Kaitlyn kept crying and shaking her head. "I should have came straight here and I missed the bus. I..I.."

"Kaitlyn don't do that." Punk spoke up and grabbed her hands. "She's going be okay."

"The front desk is getting me to the police right now, but they said we should all cover her up and try to keep her awake." Daniel said and John moved away getting close to the door and seeing people standing outside, one of the being Arn Anderson.

As John ushered Arn in, the other agents sent everyone one back to their rooms. Punk kneed down next to AJ and her eyes fluttered open lightly, seeing she was having a hard time staying that way. "April." She tried to talk and coughed but he shooed her. "Don't talk. It's Phil okay. Celeste, Daniel, John and I are here okay. We're here okay. Try and stay awake please."

Eve came back to the room with Hunter and John Laurinaitis with her. Hunter paused and John just looked on stunned. "What the hell happened?" Hunter asked in a calm tone as he moves to where Punk was sitting.

"Celeste found her like this and the guys are trying to keep her awake." Arn answered as that made the blonde cry fresh new tears. "Then John called us, Eve came for you and Bryan had the hotel on the line."

"I need to have the police lock these floors down and to get her ready for the ambulance to come through the back. Tell them I want her going through the service elevator. I'll go with her to the hospital along with Hunter, the rest of you stay and give the police a statement. Say everything you can. Kait, Celeste sweetie." She looked at Johnny and saw his hand. "I need you to go with Eve so we can get you out these clothes." She instantly shook her head in denial as John tried to pull her away.

"No, I don't want to leave her." She snuffled and as weak as she could, A.J. slowly left up her hand, extending a fist and Kaitlyn looked at her. Eve let a smile out, remembering that it was their secret handshake and a way to know that everything was going to be fine for them. After a few seconds, the two girls connected fist and Kaitlyn walked right into John Cena's arms, collapsing in them as some of the WWE physicians walked in with the EMT's to take AJ away.

"Do you guys know how long she's been this way? Has anyone come in here with her?" Hunter asked and everyone said no.

"We were gonna go out but she sent me a text to meet her downstairs. I didn't see her and when I came up to change…" Kaitlyn kept crying and John just shooed her down. Punk shook his head and when the EMTs got her information then lifted her to the stretcher, Punk tried to walk away. Her hand quickly reached for him and wrapped around his wrist. He looked at it and so did Hunter, noticing the whimpers coming from her when she did so. Everyone just paused and waited for Punk to act on it. He didn't understand why she was doing this but she probably didn't want to be alone. "Punk…" he turned to Johnny. "We need to get her to the hospital right now."

Punk felt the nails dig into his arm with weak pressure and then looked at her. She was terrified; it was all in her eyes. She didn't want to go alone. So, he grabbed her hand and held it with both of his. "I'm coming."

"Like hell. Kaitlyn can't go but he can! That's bull-"

"Daniel, shut up!" Hunter yelled and then looked at AJ, who had her eyes fainting, but the grip on Punk's hand was tight, as if she trusted him. "She wants him to go. I'm riding in a car to the hospital, everyone else stay here with the police and don't say anything to anyone until I get back. John, get Vince and Steph on phone right now." Hunter placed his hand on AJ's and said calmly, "Phil is going with you April, and I'll call your Dad for you. Just stay with him and stay awake okay."

The EMT ushered them out the room and even when their hands broke apart, he talked to her, assuring her he was still there and everything was going to be fine, even though it was only a half the truth.

In the ambulance, Punk held her hand as the EMTs performed test on her and hooked her to a machine. She would fade in and out of consciousness but he just kept talking to her. He couldn't stop thinking to himself why, what could she have possible done to deserve this for someone? The fact that it could be anyone they know actually haunts him. She didn't have issues with anyone, so who would it be?

Once they reached the emergency room, everything was so fast. The doctors loaded her out, hooked her to more machines, asked him a lot of questions about her and answering them to the best of his knowledge. But the whole time he stayed with her, didn't leave her side for a second.

"Sir, were going to have to get her into an examination room and checked out completely. When you're boss gets here, please send them here." Punk nodded and he looked down at her. She had her eyes where teary and he rubbed her cheek with a soft smile.

"I'll be right outside Princess. I'm so sorry." She tried to talk but coughed up blood instead. He kissed her forehead and then slowly walked out.

* * *

"Phil!" Punk sat in the waiting room, fist together and elbows to his knees thinking as Kaitlyn and Daniel walked up to him. He stood up and Kaitlyn just rushed to him, hugging him, which caught him completely off guard. She kept crying on him and he just stood there, having Daniel just shrug.

"She's been crying the whole way here."

"I can see that." He answered while patting her on the shoulders and back. Punk didn't mean to rude or abrasive, but he really did hate to see people crying, so having her sob next to him was really awkward. "Okay, Kait, it's fine okay. Just…" he gently pulled her away and grabbed her head. "She's fine okay. She's awake and the doctors are examining her right now." Kaitlyn nodded and took a seat next to him and they all sat down. "Hunter just got in, talking to the doctors about her. Guys, this is bad, really bad." Punk shook his head and Daniel sighed. "Our floors are locked to WWE employees only. How could this happen?"

"The police are looking at the tapes and questioning everyone. They did a roll call and everyone is in their rooms, left for a redeye or didn't check in yet. Our security is sure not a single non-employee." Daniel spoke up and made eye contact with Kaitlyn and frowned. Punk caught on and looked confused. "Phil, they…they think it might be someone who works with us."

Punk stood up and clenched his fist, looking down at Daniel as Kaitlyn ran her hands through her hair. "As in someone who's a superstar?"

"Dean said that the crew didn't even check in. They're on the road right now to set for Raw in Long Island, getting things ready. Most of the roster left right after the show, so that leaves very few people on the roll call. And with ten suspended or injured superstars not here, they should find out who did it. Until then, we have to keep shut."

"Son of a bitch." Punk mumbled in anger. "AJ can barely talk or open her eyes. Who would do this?"

Just then, Hunter and John came out with Arn next to them. Arn kept talking to the doctors as Hunter walked up to Punk. John came over with some tissue and handed them to Kaitlyn. She took them with a thank you and he sat next to her.

"How is she?" Daniel asked Hunter as Punk stood by them all.

"Well, she's going to be fine. She suffered mild head trauma, hair line cracked left ribcage, a sprained ankle I guess from running or tripping, and her face is swelled up from being punched and so are her legs and arms. They sedated her to put her to sleep for a while. So she should be up in a few hours." Hunter said with his eyes to the floor, which made Punk and Daniel feel like something else was going on. Daniel rubbed his head while Punk, being the straight out person he is, was getting annoyed.

"Hunter." Hunter looked up and met with Punk's eyes, then sighed out. "What's wrong?"

Kaitlyn looked up and John gave Hunter this really uncomfortable look, making Hunter clear his throat and say, "By request of the police and the law of this state, based on where they found all the blood, they…the doctors are running a SAFE kit on her."

"Oh god." Kaitlyn shouted out and then covered her mouth with the tissues, having Johnny hold her while she started sobbing more. Daniel just remained silent, but Punk just took a deep breath, stepping away and placing both hands behind his head.

"SAFE… as in sexual assault?" Daniel asked with his hand on his chin, frowning. "Someone _raped_ her?"

"They found tearing…and um…" Hunter had to stop and generate his thoughts also. He has three little girls at home and to think about this happening to a woman for no reason was really getting to him. He's talked to AJ a few times to know that the kid's so sweet; cotton can't melt in her mouth. "Traces of …semen… on her body."

"This is sick." Daniel said as Punk just shut his eyes, really not wanted to hear about anything. He wished Hunter hadn't even told him this. When Kaitlyn completely vomits through her napkin and onto the lobby floor, missing Johnny by turning her body, he could tell she'd had enough. Punk quickly ran to her side and patted her back. "Kait,…."

"Please stop telling me all this." She said while coughing and still crying. "I just want to see April."

"She's going to be awake tomorrow. You can come back then." Daniel suggested.

"Actually, that's the other thing." Johnny spoke up as nurse ran to Kaitlyn, giving her something to take and a bag to vomit in. "You all need to stay here. You mainly Punk." Punk looked back with confused eyes and Johnny held up his hands. "The doctors said she kept asking for all three of you in her coma. She must really want you here, and seeing as most victims don't want anyone around them after something like this, that might have to be one least thing to worry about. "

"What about our appearances, promos, work in general?"

"You can still work Raw and Smackdown, the house shows and promos can be handled quickly. I just need you guys here until on the east coast tour is done. Punk, can you return after Jimmy Fallon tomorrow?" Punk nodded and Hunter patted his shoulder. "Kaitlyn, if you need time off, let us know." She nodded and started throwing up more. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Kaitlyn kept throwing up, having everyone move away from her. "My stomach really hurts whenever I hear graphic things. Sorry."

"We need to get her into a room to rest. You can see April after." Hunter helped her up and she walked with him as Punk and Daniel stayed with Johnny.

"Guys, I'm sure none of you know, but can you think of anyone who may have an issue with her?"

Daniel shook his head, "She can't have an issue with anyone. She's harmless."

"Maybe so, but harmless doesn't get you attacked like this."

"No shit detective Johnny boy!" Punk yelled, getting close to his face and huffing out his anger. "People get attacked for no reason all the time! The asshole who did this to her has been walking among us, traveling with us, hell they may have been in the ring with us. They could have just did this to scare her or they could have been planning to do this to the divas, choosing her as an example!" Daniel pushed Punk back from John's face and held him back.

"Punk, chill out!" Daniel yelled and Punk just looked at him. "We can't blame each other."

"Trust me, I'm not blaming anyone, I'm simply telling it like it is. That Mr. Ex-VP of talent relation has been sweeping sexual harassment under the mat since he got here. The women in development have been complaining for years about the abuse from some of the male stars and what did you do? Nothing at all." Punk pointed at him and John gave him a stern frown, getting upset as well.

"Punk, you know that's not the truth. I've been trying to solve this issue for years, but with no one coming forward, I couldn't move forward." Daniel even looked at John with a scowl. When he was in FCW, he remembered a lot of the girls being harassed and telling Johnny about it. Yet, he did nothing, telling them to just take it lightly. He definitely swept things under the mat when he didn't care.

Punk drew a sarcastic smile and nodded. "Well, at least you finally have the poster Diva for a new company policy. Maybe it'll be "Don't tap that ass without permission" or maybe we can just add sexual offenses to be one strike rehab plans." Johnny rolled his eyes and Punk caressed his beard. "Congrats, Yes Man and good luck. You'll lucky if she agrees with it, or even wants to get back in the ring ever again."

That last sentence got to everyone. Punk was right. She may never be the same again. After being attacked by someone is one thing, being raped by someone who works with you is another. Arn walked over to them and stood next to Johnny, looking to address the guys. "She's awake now. The doctor only wants one person with her…"

"I'll go." Daniel and Punk both looked at one another when they both uttered the words. Daniel held up his hands first. "I know AJ would want me in there so just let me go first and you can wave hello through the window alright? You're TV hero act doesn't apply here." Daniel tried to move past him but Punk gripped the arm of the former World Heavyweight champ.

"I've been with her the whole time, so I'll say hello face to face. You can come in second. It will be just like the old day Danny boy."

"You aren't even close to AJ. You barely know her so why do you care?"

"Maybe the fact that I had to walk in on her battered bruised, and barely moving body has raised this concern in my brain." Daniel shut up quickly as Arn got in the middle.

"Kaitlyn is going to stay with her until her parents come. So the both of you can go now, and when she comes in, head back to the hotel and come back in the morning." They both stood silent and Punk nodded.

"I can do that."

"So will I. So we should go back in my car together. Just keep your hands were I can see them." Punk chuckled.

"Trust me Danny, you aren't my type. Not one bit." Punk tried to walk away and Johnny stopped him.

"We're serious about the discloser of this Punk. We're having a meeting with everyone about this before Raw. Keep this to yourself."

Punk smiled. "Johnny, you touch me again, and I'll be force to hurt you more than John Cena had to." He moved his hand away and added, "and don't worry, I won't tell everyone what a big mess big Johnny made."

As Punk and Daniel walked away, he kept thinking to himself about how he was going to handle this. And when he watched Daniel go in and look at AJ, he noticed how upset Daniel really did look, how Kaitlyn can't even keep her dinner down, or how the company now has a serious problem to cover up.

Most of all, he didn't know if AJ was going to be AJ ever again.

* * *

BTW: Hasn't the last few weeks of AJ's crazy put you at the edge of your couch? SO much has happened. she's kissing and slapping her way to the top and I love it! MITB is going to be crazy. I can feel it.

Next up: The aftermath and how everyone that has entered this situation deals with it.


	3. The Supporting Circle 1

Hey Hey Yall!I decided to split this chapter in half, using POVs from Sheamus, CM Punk and Brie Bella to involve them in the story.

I want to thank you all sooooo much for even skipping through the story. I was so inspired by the story line of D-Bry/AJ/Punk and some other stories I've read up here,** Say You Like Me by Unbelievably Random End of Heartache by MyChaosTheory, and Crash and Burn by DemonicXaliv**. These are all my must read stories right now and got me to write this one so thanks guys for helping me and reviewing my story! There in my favs so if you haven't, get to readin' dogg!

Also, the pairing of Kaitlyn and Sheamus came from** Hard to Handle by JeantheGuardian**, which is also a great story. The story will follow Punk and AJ more after this, but I'm jumping more into months to make the bond between the people in this story stick.

**Once again, I own nothing. Enjoy! **

* * *

_July 17th, 2012_

_One Month Later_

_Hoboken Memorial Hospital_

_Hoboken, NJ_

When Sheamus walked into the hospital in the morning, he was carrying his gifts and a weight on his heart. He didn't know what to expect when he got there. He had to let Kaitlyn know he was coming to get approval from AJ, which she granted. Hunter only let people that were close to AJ around her, and he was lucky to be one of them. He had to call the hospital to tell them so he could get a special pass, then upon arrival he had to show ID proving he was a co-worker and get searched by security.

AJ was under serious surveillance of the hospital. Yet he was shocked she was letting visitors come. Twenty-one days have passed since her attack and most rape victims isolate themselves from the outside. She didn't hesitate on letting him come once Kaitlyn brought him up, so he took the opportunity to see her before leaving for the next house show. The night it happened, the Blonde-Black dyed diva barely let him sleep, making him rush to her side when she needed someone the most.

_Sheamus heard a knock on the door and groaned. He was pissed the police woke him up the first time. Something happened to an employee earlier and he had to tell them everything about his day, from the moment he got off his bus to when he took a piss before sleeping. _

_The only thing that had him thinking was when he mentioned Kaitlyn riding back with him, they stayed on it, asking if he walked her to the room and other things related. That concerned him. Kaitlyn was fine when he left her. The knocking continued until he opened it, looking at the girl he was just thinking of, her hair in a messy bun, her shirt wrinkled and her eyes red and puffy around the outside. _

"_Hey Stephen. I know it's pretty late but, I just got back from the ER and Aksana didn't answer her phone, Derrick's not here and Dolph left for his Media day early, so I really don't have a place to sleep and…I just…I didn't know where else to go." She kept talking in rambles and got to the brink of crying again._

"_Kait? What's wrong?" he asked and she looked at him, breaking into a new batch of tears. "Hey, Come in." she did more than that. She walked in and clutched onto him, burying her face in his huge chest and sobbing. "Kaitlyn what happen tonight? The police started questionin' everyone…" _

"_April…" she stopped him and then sighed before adding, "Someone attacked her in our room." She sobbed out and Sheamus' face froze. Before he could say anything else, "I can't sleep there…or alone." She pulled away and looked up at him, tears rolling down her face and large frown taking over her lips. _

"_Kaitlyn, you can sleep here. I'll take the couch or call room service…" _

"_I can't sleep alone." She repeated and he caught on, giving her a smile and nodding. "I'll just use your shower. I've been in the hospital all night." She pulled in her bag and what looked to be some of AJ things, which he took with him and set near his couch. He noticed they had forensics tags on them and figured the police other things as evidence. He doesn't know what completely happened to her, but he really wanted to know why. _

_Once Kaitlyn finished, she came out the bathroom in sweats and a tank, her face washed and her hair still up. He sat on the edge of the bed and she moved next to him. "What's on your mind?" _

"_Besides the images of my best friend lying in her own blood, nothing much." He nodded at her sarcasm and she sighed. "Sorry, you know I compensate sadness with humor." _

"_I see that." He stood up and went over to the other side of the bed, laying down with her and tugging the sheets over them. "When ya wanna to talk…" _

"_I don't. Not right now." she said. He turned the lights off, letting the moon shine through the window. She then pulled his arm around her waist and he followed it, tightened his hold on her and placing his face over her head. She snugged her face into his chest and thought about how this cuddling can't count as a romantic one, considering the mood she's in. But it sure felt nice to be there. "Thank you," _

"_Yer welcome. I really am sorry K." she nodded and when she started crying, he just held on tighter until she cried herself to sleep._

That was the last time he was really near Kaitlyn. She decided to stay in the area next to AJ and took some time off. AJ's family stayed here also until she was ready to go home, but the Chickbusters didn't separate this time. He walked past the security guards after being patted down again, he knocked on the door, "Who's there?"

"It's Stephen." Like lighting, Kaitlyn was at the door with a smile and he returned it. "Hey there lass."

"Hey, you made it." she hugged him and looked down at the gifts in his hands. "Cookies, Milk and a Deadpool Comic she doesn't have. You've brought goodies."

"Ya, Zack suggested them while we were at Comic Con. Is she awake?"

"Yeah, I just have to tell you something." He nodded and she leaned in, fixing with her hands and giving him a nervous grin. "She still looks pretty bad; she has a healing black eye that Kelly covered with some makeup earlier, and her broken ribs and ankle are wrapped up. Her throat really hurts still so we can't make her talk a lot." Sheamus nodded as she continued. "Also, in therapy, her parents argued with her about leaving the company."

"What? Did she-"

"No." She answered quickly with a smile. "And she told them why. She's not quitting her job at all thank god, but it really upset her when they asked her to. And the effects of the Plan B are really messing with her. She really doesn't want to hear about what happened, or anyone to feel bad for her. So no sad looks, no crying and don't say you're sorry. The doctors think it's her way of coping and we want her to stay on a positive road. Do what every she wants or she'll blow."

"Got it."

"Also, she's going to tell the police the rest of her statement today for the case. And I can't stop crying when hear it so, do you mind staying with me till their done? Either Daniel or Punk will stay with her so I would rather one of them be in the room."

He nodded for her. "Anything else lass?"

"Thanks for letting me stay with you." He grinned at her and she let out smile of her own. "I really needed someone."

"Anytime darling. You know that." When Sheamus reached for her hand, her eyes just stared at it for a while, blushing and gripping onto them. He could tell if she was happy to see him or happy to have someone there for her. He never thought she would confide in him, but he would take this kind of connection with her either way.

Okay, well, come in." he followed her into the suite and saw all the flowers that took up space, feeling good that he didn't follow suit. "Ace, Stephen's here." He looked at her and she gave him a small smile, and then put her iPad down.

"Stephen, you came." She stretched out her arm and he was a little hesitating, seeing her ribs where still wrapped and her arm was still in a sling. The fact that she wanted a hug was even weirder since most attack victims don't want to even be poked let alone hugged. And he felt Kaitlyn hand patted his back when he didn't hug. "It's free hugs today. Therapist orders. Just don't squeeze me."

He nodded and went in for the hug, pulled her up a bit and patting her back. When he pulled away, she smiled again. "Glad to see ya." He said while taking a seat next to her.

"Thanks." She saw his hands and drew a bigger smile. "And since you brought comics, Oreos and Low Fat Milk instead of flowers, I'm happy someone did the homework." He laughed and handed them to her.

"I did. I couldn't find those Chocos, but Zack said that was a copyright avoidance for the writers of the Martian Manhunter comic books. But ya know that."

"Well, thank you, I really appreciate you coming here." AJ said, opening the cookies while she talked, "I know Kaitlyn appreciates it."

"AJ." Kaitlyn rolled her eyes as she started to blush more, making Sheamus do the same.

"I know she does. But ya know I wouldn't miss seeing ya for the world." She passed the Oreos to him. "Everyone misses ya."

"I know. My iPhone is going to quit its job from all this work." She shook her head. "But I'll be back soon…as _this_ is over."

"Thank god. The fans chanting we want A.J. are getting to Punk's head. We need ya in a CM Punk shirt again." AJ laughed and so did they, happy she was able to talk about work and not freak out. "Or maybe, we can get you two is some Great White gear."

They talked more for a couple of minutes before Kaitlyn got a call. "Um, this is Stephanie and Hunter, the detective and police must be here." AJ froze up and Sheamus glanced at Kaitlyn while she put on a strong face. "They want me to talk to them first."

AJ's phone rang with a text. "Punk is here."

"I can go with K if…"

"No." AJ quickly answered and Sheamus frowned at her. "You can go out and Sheamus can just stay till you come back. We'll be okay. Plus, I need to talk to him."

"Okay. I'll be right back, okay?" Kaitlyn gave her a fist bump before gradually walking out.

When Sheamus turned back to AJ, she just looked petrified. She was playing with her nails, and from the look on her face, she was ready to burst into tears. Sheamus browsed her room for tissue and passed it to her. "I'm not supposed to cry, it hurts when I do." She dabbed it under her eyes. "I really don't want to do this."

"AJ, the person who did this to ya needs to pay for it. Justice needs to be served here. You didn't deserve this at all ya know, and when this…sick **arse** bastard is put away, you'll be on the next step to recovery. All ya have to do is confirm the guy."

"I know. I just…" she shook her head and sighed heavily, looking back at the Irish superstar with a frown. "I actually feel bad for the person. I'm about to ruin his life."

"AJ, no. Yes, this person might have it rough, but ya just got put through hell." She nodded as he said, "Don't fight this. Tell the police who did this to you. Not just for justice, but for yer'self. For the strength you've always had but never showed off. Not many women say a word after something like this happens to them. Not many of them have the chance either."

AJ knew Sheamus was right. This had to happen. She hasn't slept in three days due to just thinking. She thought of what would happen once she revealed this person was. How it would make her feel mostly. She wanted the weight lifted off her shoulders so badly but she felt as if more weight would be placed on her. She _never_ wants to feel this way again. Helpless, bruised, violated, mangled, paranoid and battered. AJ felt as if she was really going crazy.

He made her this way and he needed to know this. Sending him to jail would be the perfect way to protect her and stop her from living her whole life this way.

"You're right." He nodded and she gave him a tight grin. He passed her a cup of water, and as she took it she asked. "Can you just do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"I really need you to talk Kaitlyn out of staying in the hospital for another night." That caught him off guard completely. "And I don't want her back until tomorrow."

"…" Sheamus couldn't find a rebuttal so A.J. continued.

"She told me what happened." AJ cut him off and shook her head. "Can't say I'm shocked. Besides Derrick and Johnny, your high ranked on the list of hot guys we work with."

"You know yer lass, she's hard at convincin'…"

"She hasn't left me in two days. She won't eat, sleep and every time she pees, she leaves the door open. I love my best friend but she's making me paranoid, more than I've already been. She likes you a lot, and she might trust you right now so I know she'll follow you if you make her. There's forty-five places to eat in the town so find one. Take her with you to the next show with you. Please, just do something."

Sheamus just kept shut and winked, "Ya got yourself a deal." AJ mouthed an awesome and he took another cookie, handing her one and toasting with them.

* * *

"What took you so long?" Hunter yelled as Punk handed the clerk his photo ID and took his pass. He was at the hospital, waiting to go up to AJ's floor since Kaitlyn told him Punk would show up to support.

"Well, if the secret service you hired was smart enough to see my lip ring is made of real metal, I would have been here in no time." They both walked into the elevator and Stephanie was already in there with the police and David Otunga, who voluntarily took on AJ's case to help the company lawyers. "Top of the morning to you all."

"Nice of you to come Punk. I thought Daniel would have showed up." David shook his hand and he shrugged.

"He left to get Brie."

"Brianna flew out here?" Stephanie asked with a grin. "He's really in love huh?"

"Well, he just need her around to help him cope…with this." He looked at the elevator doors closed he thought of the person he turned to, who gave him the peace of mind he needed to be here.

"_Punk? Is that you?" Punk winced and moved away from her room door._

"_Hey Ames. You busy?" the door opened and Lita opened the door, placing her hand on the frame and tinted her head with a shrug._

"_Well, sleeping was on my list things do since it's three in the morning. But for you, I'd alter my plans." He snorted and she did also, making remember why he came down the first place. Amy Dumas has to be the only woman that's not just his ex-girlfriend, but his best friend. He never thought they would be friends again, but after the week they spend in Miami, having her support him as a friend during huge PPV like No Way Out and beyond, they figured it would be great to turn to one another for anything. _

_After witnessing was happened to A.J., he really needed that extended hand. _

_So he told her everything. From the moment he walked in on Kaitlyn sobbing over the petite diva, to the ambulance ride, he told Amy everything. He let a tear fall just thinking about it over again. The last seven hours of his night had a new history he'd never thought he'd have a part in and he didn't know how to cope. _

"_Please, don't say anything Ames…" Amy sat next to him on her bed, placing a hand on his shoulder._

"_No, of course not but… April? She's so small, sweet as ice tea when I met her… Why would anyone do that to her?" _

"_I don't know." He sighed and lay back in the bed. "I really want to know for myself." _

"_What is the police saying?" _

"_They are reviewing the tapes and she has to wake up to confirm it. If she even wants to." _

"_That's a hard call to make. I think she'll do it. I'm just worried about her state of mind after. Are you sure it's someone if the company?" _

"_You know how the hotel situation's been. We have our own floors. No one in without ID." She sighed and Punk sat up, running his hand over his face. "I just… she latched onto me and I don't know why?" _

"_Yeah, you don't even like it when babies cry over falling so imagining you around all that is hard enough." _

_Punk grinned sarcastically and she laughed with him while bumping shoulder with him playfully, "Thanks. That means a lot coming from you." _

"_Truth has meaning for a reason Punk. You know that." She sighed then added. "And…maybe she thinks you're a comfortable person. The fact that you were there to keep her calm could have made her feel a little safe at the moment." _

"_But what do I do now?" _

"_I would just ride it out, until she's out at least. And support her if she does return the company." Punk smiled and agreed with her by nodding. AJ really needed a support system and if he was drafted for the brand, he really has no choice but to join the roster. _

"_I think I can do that." _

"_Of course you can. You the best in the world at other things besides wrestling. A relationship, not so much. Supporting people, you can manage." _

_Punk looked at the clock and noticed her yawning, "Thanks Amy. I'll let you sleep." _

_She nodded and pulled him in for a hug, feeling his head on her shoulder as she smiled. "No problem. Just…be her friend okay? At a time like this, she really needs you." _

When the team got to the floor, Kaitlyn was outside, head against the wall with her hand folded. She shook hands with the cops, and then received hugs from everyone else. Punk was the last and rubbed her shoulders, shaking her a bit. "How are you?"

"I'm awesome, can't you tell?" She gave him a weak smile while looking at everyone. "I'm just exhausted. And really hungry."

"Well we won't be long. We already know our suspect." Kaitlyn's eyes widened and Punk thought she was going to pass out right in front of them. Hunter turned to the police and nodded at them. They moved away from her and Hunter pulled both Punk and Kaitlyn to the side.

"What the hell?" Punk whispered at Stephanie as she rubbed Kaitlyn's back, seeing a tear fall. "If you have the bastard, wouldn't be smart to..I don't know…**arrest** this asshole?" He snapped with a sarcastic tone as Hunter gave him a glare.

"No need to. He turned himself in this morning while in to New York City Police. We still need AJ to confirm and identify her attack, along with her full statement. When she identifies her attacker, we will book him for it." David stated. "We'll have to DNA profile this person to see if they match the results in the SAFE kit."

"Okay, well, let's get this going." Punk was about to walk in until Hunter placed his hand up to stop him.

"Before we go in, there's something you both need to know." David looked at Stephanie before he continued. "It's definitely someone on the roster. And…the other witnesses believed that this person was under the influence. He believes he _may_ have done it, but just went to the police to keep himself out of trouble. He checked in and left around the time you found her, and once he realized something was wrong days later, he confessed."

There was a long pause before Kaitlyn broke it. "Well, who did it?"

* * *

Brie Bella didn't think she would be back at a WWE event since she and her sister decided to give it all up. They truly did love being Divas. They amazing places they went, the people they connected with who were fans and loved them, along with the family they gained for a lifetime. They felt as if that chapter in life was greatly written and it was time to take a break from it all. While they were thinking about their decision to leave, she had to take her blooming relationship with Daniel and how it was going to change.

She's happy that didn't happen, seeing as she was Daniel's number one fan. He made sure his voice was heard every night before bed, along with giving her tons of support in her decision to leave. So of course she'll jump at all opportunity to be with him. Even though she wasn't supposed to see him until his next PPV, but like she agreed to be, she was one phone call away whenever he needed her.

"_Hello honey." Brie answered in a flirty voice as Nikki helped her pack up. They had a full couple of weeks ahead of them. An appearance here, a red-carpet there, and many other things listed for them to do. The first was an independent circuit event and they were happy to see some old friends that they missed. _

"_Hey." She heard this sign of pain in his voice and stopped packing, having Nikki raise her hands in frustration. "Brianna, something happened to April." _

"_What?" she placed hers on her hips and Nikki stood next to her. _

"_She was attacked, in her room tonight and…" Daniel sighed before explaining everything that happened. Nikki covered her mouth in horror and Brie's heart started to beat faster, to the point of it hurting. "I know you're busy. But I can really use you around right now." _

_Brie looked at her sister, who nodded and mouthed, "Go to him." Brie paused and thought about it all, knowing that Daniel wouldn't just call her to come if it wasn't an emergency or if he really didn't need her. He needed someone. He really needed her. _

"_Are you still in New York? I'll buy a ticket for the first flight out in the morning." _

That's the way its been since then. She'd host a nightclub, do a red carpet at an award show, or work a photo shoot, but after that, it was back on a plane and heading where ever Daniel was. He came a day since she had a award show to attend, after which she hoped on a plane to New York to be with him again. She walked out of the terminal at JFK and towards the arrival floor, where she saw Daniel waiting with flowers in his hands. She smiled at the gesture, finding it funny how he was a good douchebag on TV and a great boyfriend when the cameras went off.

"Hey beautiful." He said weakly while hugging her and picking her lightly off the ground. She squealed and laughed while wrapping her arms around his neck. Looking down at him, she saw this pain in his eyes and how tired he really looked. What happened with AJ really got to him because she knew the real relationship between the two superstars. They worked together and became really good friends, which is hard not to do around the 5'3 diva. They were both geeks at heart and AJ was just full of positive and energy that the devil himself couldn't ignore. Brie had nothing against her at all. In fact, she was glad the romantic storyline was with her and not any other diva. Not that she was jealous, but Daniel worked better with people that were just like him.

AJ happened to be the perfect match and a loyal friend to the twins. So coming to be with Daniel was also about being there for AJ as well.

"Hey handsome. Are you okay?" she dropped down and gave him a quick kiss before he took her bag.

"I am now." He nodded and took her hand, ushering her out the airport. People who must have been fans just looked and chanted YES! At them, making Daniel crack his first laugh of the day. "And I'm definitely feeling a little better after that." She smiled at him as they got to the car. "How's Nik?"

"She's cool. She had to leave for the event in LA and feels bad she couldn't be here but she promised to call AJ and everything after her appearance." He started his car and after driving away from the airport, he connected hands with her and kissed it. "How is she?"

That made his attitude shift when she asked, seeing him shift and hold on to her hand a little tighter. "The police are going to question her today. When they tried yesterday, her parents asked them to back off, telling them to return today. Hunter had to respect it."

"Do they have any leads? Any clues at all?"

"They saw the hotel footage and nailed it down to five guys that work with us. If AJ makes a match, off to jail this bastard goes."

"It's just creepy that someone that's been working with you is your attacker." She turned to her phone while talking. "She didn't deserve it at all. She'll have some peace of mind after reporting this guy. When they catch this asshole, the only hell in a cell he'll ever be a part of will take place in jail and will go on for lifetime."

"Jail will be the safest place when they find him." He agreed while stopping at a light and rubbing his chin.

"I'm sorry you're involved in all this babe."

He shook his head and scoffed. "Trust me, it's not you're fault. I'm glad you're here though."

"So am I. I promised I'd be here for you." She flashed him a bright smile and he grinned, feeling better that he was with her. She was right about AJ. Once this guy was caught, she could begin the proper steps to recovery. She needed that peace of mind really bad.

His phone rang with a text message and when Brie looked at it, she mouthed 'AJ' then read it, "The police are there and Punk is with her. They want to know if they should wait for you."

"They don't have too but I'm going to the hospital. If you want…"

"I don't mind going." She sent the text and Daniel started driving again, heading to the hospital and having the thoughts on what was going to happen next running through his head.

* * *

Part 2 Coming Tommarrow. Promises. and you guys can review in the mean time. Tell me how I'm doing!

Dueces up and out!

[Follow me at gtstobroguekick on tumblr!]


	4. The Supporting Circle 2

I bring you part two guys.

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. **

* * *

_**Same Day**_

_**Tampa, FL**_

John didn't like the look on Eve's face and he just didn't know what to do about it.

She's been this way for weeks. With a blank stare and a huge frown, she wouldn't even talk to anyone. No smiling, no laughing, not even a small grin with a hello. She just looked so unhappy.

John figured she would still be shaken up from what she saw a few days ago and what Hunter told them in the meeting. They both thought AJ was attacked by a stranger, but she was a raped by a member of her work family, a co-worker, someone who has been in the same room with them and traveled with them all year. She, along with all the other Divas, where on personal high alert, having their own security get them to and from the arena, along with their appearance and events.

"You know, you look like a pretty still portrait right now." They sat down at the airport in Tampa waiting for their flight and he continued to eat as Eve just stared into space. She still didn't talk and just sighed. "And if you were naked you would make a perfect model for a Barbie spread in Playboy."

That statement made the medium blonde brunette snap out her day dream, giving John a hard glare. "John, that's so rude…"

"It got you talking though." She let him cut her off and then scoffed, trying not to laugh at him. "I know you're scared. With all that's happened in the last few weeks, you have every right to be. But you really need to relax."

"I went to a MMA class to teach Monday and yelled at a student for dropping a girl roughly." He winced and she finally started to eat. "I do need to relax. I think the night off from the shows will do me some good. Did you handle everything?"

"AJ's dog ate and get out the house before I left him with her neighbor. Her house is fine, mailed her bills out and got some clothes for her." He wrapped up his trash and leaned back. "Derrick has been setting her house up for when she comes back."

"If she goes home, she'll need to feel comfy." Eve agreed.

"Are you comfortable?" she looked at him and shrugged.

"Not really. I'm still freaked out actually. I can't shake what's happening here. What we saw John, it could have happened to me, or any one. The fact that it happened to someone as harmless as her just makes me feel sick." He nodded with her. "I just think her support system will need to be bigger."

"Well, she has us. And once we get rid of the jerk that did this, we're gonna have to bust our asses to show how much we love her and how much she can trust us all."

"I don't doubt that, especially after the meeting. Everyone's reaction…" Eve covered her mouth and blinked really hard, feeling her tears come as John rose from his chair to her, then pulled her into a hug to make her feel better. "I was so shocked by it. Happy but shocked."

"_What's going on?" Eve overheard Cody asking John as the rosters of Raw, Smackdown and NXT, along with crew and producers, sat in an empty stadium in the audience portion before RAW. Everyone was forced to attend it and it was hour before a live Raw show. Some of the stars where slightly irritated that they had to be there, but Hunter decided not to hold off on letting everyone know what happened. _

_Eve could help but feel really uncomfortable to be around everyone, but she kept her cool while seating next to David, having John and Punk right behind her. AJ was still on her mind and as the guys filled the space, she could help but question herself. Who could it be? _

"_Just wait Cody. I'm sure Brandi can do without a 5 minute quickie for a day." Punk commented as David snorted, receiving a soft elbow jab from Eve while she broke a smile also. Cody scoffed and John just leaned forward to Eve. _

"_You alright?" Eve nodded and leaned back a little. _

"_I'm thinking way too much right now, especially in this environment."_

"_You think they know already?" _

"_No, Hunter made sure of it." David answered, taking another sip from his mug and looking around the room. "But I will admit, I can't hold it in any longer. I literally want to stomp a hole in the guy who did this." That caught Eve off guard a little. She knows AJ was in development when David started, but she doubted he even looked her way._

"_You and me both pal." Punk sat back as the agents, personals, producers walked in behind Hunter, Stephanie, and as a shock to everyone, Vince McMahon himself entered the room. That put every wrestler in the room on high alert and the room became quiet, all eyes on the boss. "I didn't know he was here. I thought he wasn't coming in till July." _

"_I knew having a meeting now had to mean something." Eve whispered back as Vince stood in front of the room, looking extremely serious and letting his eyes roam the room. Eve could tell that he wasn't happy._

"_Good evening everyone." The Chairman greeted and received a unison greeting in return. "I'm sure some of you have to prepare for tonight, so I'll be quick." He cleared his throat and folded his hands, then looked around the room. "I was called down by your COO and VP of Talent Relations to discuss with you all...a serious and devastating event that has occurred within this company. Now, what I am about to tell you will be news and will hit the airwaves in the next couple of hours, so I would rather you hear it from the source." Vince rubbed his chin and everyone could see the hurt on his face. "Last night, your fellow superstar, April Mendez or A.J. as know to all of you, was found assaulted in her hotel room after our Pay Per View event in New Jersey last night…"_

_A series of gasp traveled through the room, with a lot of the males getting upset as the girls looking terrified and sad that one of their fellow divas had been attacked. But Eve noticed how the room broke into an uproar over this, most of them shocked to hear this._

"_Is she alright?" Cody was the first to speak up, standing up and having Zack Ryder, Justin Gabriel and some of the NXT guys follow. "How could this happen?" _

"_Calm down everyone for just a moment." Hunter spoke up and Vince cleared his throat to continue. _

"_The police are on the case, and I know some of you were questioned last night, but the police have a full roll call of all the wrestlers here today and will be questioning everyone they missed. Also, A.J. is in a hospital in New Jersey, where she will be staying until she heals properly. She will be missing some shows and we are going to report this as a beating only, but between us here it was more than that." _

"_Was she attacked by a fan? A stalker she may have had?" Alberto shouted, causing everyone to speak up with questions also. Eve couldn't hold in her emotions anymore. Hearing all the questions just made her think about what she walked in on last night. All the images of Kaitlyn holding the small divas' half naked and violated body resurfaced. While Vince prepared to tell the roster that the petite geek was raped, she started to cry, not caring that David and John where looking at her and trying to stop her. _

"_Eve?" David whispered as she shook her head, having her sobs get louder and soon, people turned to her, frowning while her tears fell. _

"_Eve?" Layla stood up and walked over to her, handing her a tissue and rubbing her back. "Eve, what's wrong? _

"_Eve, along with Celeste, Daniel Phil and John also found her yesterday…" Hunter spoke up again as Vince nodded at him to continue. "April was assaulted in a sexual manner." Everyone started to stir up again as most of the girls started to cry also, and most of the guys shouting their claims of innocence. "The police are going to test who they think it is when A.J. gives her statement, but until then, no one is to take a leave of absence until this is figured out and no one is to speak about this to the media." _

"_Can we see her at least?" Natalya asked as all the other Divas muttered in agreement._

"_She won't be allowed to see every one right now, but if you do want to see her, you'll have to do it on your own time. You still have work and gigs, along with a PPV to prepare for and schedules that need to be followed, and we will be doing everything with caution. There will also have counselors to talk if anyone needs it." Hunter sighed when most the roster objected. "I understand everyone and how some of you want to be there for her, and I'm sure once she hears from you all, she'll be happy. But for a full recovery, A.J. might be taking the time needed to get back to normal and back in the ring, working for a company she's dreamed of and loves to be a part of. Hopefully, she'll return soon." _

"_You're joking right? A.J. loves her job, just like us and more than some. She needs to be back here in WWE." Aksana spoke up and everyone clapped at her statement. _

_Just then, Darren Young stood up and turned to everyone. "If anyone thinks we should show our support for the wonderful young woman, I hope you agree with me when I say this," he then turned to Vince and Hunter with a smile and said with that strong voice, "Tomorrow's Smackdown should be dedicated to her." _

"_Hell yea it should!" Titus O'Neil stood up and clapped with aggression with his tag team partner, and soon having all the rookies follow and the superstars joining in. Eve looked at everyone and turned to John and Punk, who slowly stood up and clapped at their own excited pace. Out of all the moments in her life that made Eve feel proud to call herself a Diva for the WWE, this now comes into play with every single one of them._

John grabbed her hand as he stood up, squeezing it tight and making her smile a little. "We have a few hours before the plane. I'm willing to cheat a diet if you are." He said in a low voice as she threw her head back with a laugh, knowing this was his way of trying to cheer her up for the day. "How about…_yogurt that has been frozen_?"

"Um...it's ten a.m. John."

"So? And Special K and bananas to it." she laughed again and he grinned brightly at her.

"Mmmm, that _does_ sounds great." Eve got to her feet and picked up her bags. "Don't tell anyone." he nodded as while they walked and talked in the terminal.

Eve's phone rang but she missed the calls while placing her order. She called the person back with a smile and answered, "Hey there Hot Stuff." John snorted while she talked on the phone. But as they walked off, he looked over a couple of times when he heard yelling and saw Eve's face change. "Wait…are you sure?"

"Eve…" she held up her hand as her frown brows increased.

"No, I haven't seen him….I know, but it's been crazy these last few days…." Eve's face fell once the person on the other line said something else. "Oh my god."

"Eve, what's going on?"

* * *

**Back in NJ**

A.J. and Sheamus turned to the door as someone knocked. A.J.'s eyes widened and Sheamus stood up. But when she heard the knock the 'Shave and a Haircut' melody, she sighed in relief and Sheamus smiled. "Punk, hold on!" Before Sheamus' very eyes, he watched A.J. pull out a mirror and toss her hair around, check her face and her breath. Then she fix herself in bed, which made Sheamus laugh. "What?"

"Ya really are adorable." He said while standing up and taking Kaitlyn's bag with him. "And if he can't see that, someone else will." He winked at her and she nodded. "Do the right thing kay?"

"Thanks." she looked at the door. "Come in!"

Punk entered with Kaitlyn, peaking in as he gave everyone a small grin. "Good morning crazy."

A.J. rolled her eyes while he walked over to Sheamus for a bro hug as he stared at her. "I told you I hate that."

"And I told you I dig it so it's sticking." He approached her slowly to join her. "You ready?"

"No." he snorted at her honest respond, he couldn't blame her. She was barely healed and now has to relive this night by talking about it. "I'll have to be."

"That's right." Punk took her hand and she looked at it, trying not to cry again. "All they want you to do is describe the guy and say you want to press charges against him." She mouth okay and Punk looked out the door, nodding to Hunter.

"Call us if you need anything okay. I'm going to wait for Daniel downstairs." Kaitlyn leaned over to hug her and A.J. nodded, hugging back and taking the kiss on the cheek with a small smile. "I love you Spider Monkey."

"I love you too Wonder Girl." Kaitlyn snorted while walking out behind Sheamus, giving Punk a hurtful glare that she didn't miss. She could always tell when Kaitlyn was scared or hurt, so seeing her look at Punk as if she was ready for war freaked her out even more.

Hunter walked in with Stephanie and David, who both greeted the diva with a hug. "Good morning April."

April nodded as they all crowded around her. Punk decided to stand up to be closer as Stephanie took the seat. David opened his iPad and took the other side to talk to her. "Okay, April, the officers are going to ask you a series of questions that relate to the night in question. You are to give your best description of your attack. After you describe and identify your attacker, they will ask you if you want to proceed with pressing assault charges against this person. And I will need to know now if you will press charges against this person for trial reasons."

April just looked terrified, not responding to David after he talked. "April?" Hunter called out and she snapped back to reality, pouting and looking at her boss with tears in her eyes. "Are you ready for this? We can give you a few minutes…"

"I do." She cut him off and Stephanie gave her a look of concern as she nodded. "I want to press charges against this person." She choked up and looked at David with a tight frown. "I will okay?"

Punk could tell she was shaken about this. Her body language said it all. She really did want to press changes, and she didn't want to even relive that night. He took her hand and felt her nerves go insane. It was moving uncontrollably, and that caused her heart monitor to increase in front of everyone. "A.J.… April." She turned at Punk and he pulled her head close to his, connecting foreheads and looking into her eyes. "You can do this. You're going to feel _so_ much better after this and I promise, you'll get past this." She nodded and after he kissed her forehead, she smiled. That also earned a tear for Stephanie and a smile from Hunter. "Let's do it loca." She cracked a laugh and sniffed up her tears, hearing the beating decrease while looking at David with certainty in her eyes.

"I'm ready."

* * *

"Brie-Brie!" Kaitlyn cheered as Brie walked into the hospital and they collided, hugging tightly and giggling. It wasn't a mystery that the Bella duo were missed dearly since they left. And the rookie divas of NXT felt blessed to have worked with them and beyond. That left room for a closeness among them and a respect for one another since they were all apart of this exclusive club. Sheamus nodded at Daniel as the girls began to talk.

"I love this hair." Brie touched Kaitlyn's new blonde and black locks, bangs were out and her ends where curled.

"Thanks, I did what I could do, considering what I've been busy with." She slowly sat with Kaitlyn and Daniel found a seat next to them. "You guys are just in time. The police just went in and so I guess she's giving a statement now. Whether or not she'll press the charges is the main concern."

"I wonder what will really change once we find out who it is." Daniel said as Kaitlyn bit her lip, looking at Sheamus, who looked extremely disturbed and shook his head. "What?"

"We know who did it. Or if you've been on your ESPN, TMZ or CNN app, the pieces are pretty much put together."

"That would explain why the media set up a camp in the parking lot." Daniel and Brie looked at one another as Kaitlyn pulled out her phone. "What did Hunter say?"

"She has to confirm it and press the charges." Sheamus answered. "What the police do and what Hunter does depends on it." Kaitlyn finally found the article and passed the phone to Brie and Daniel.

Brie gasped as Daniel snatched the phone away, staring in disbelief and anger. Kaitlyn glanced at Sheamus, who for some reason looked more offended than everyone, as Daniel spoke up in horror. "No."

* * *

"He left after that….and I couldn't move much. I couldn't breathe and my head felt rattled, which might have caused the wave of unconsciousness." A.J. wiped her tears away as she wrapped up the details of her attack. Punk spent the whole time in silence and tired not to show how livid he was to hear all of it. Stephanie looked uncomfortable, David also shifted in his seat anxiously and Hunter was about ready to blow. Everyone knew her attack was bad, but hearing her word for it just made the situation appalling and disgusting. She really didn't deserve what happened to her.

"I just stayed put since I found it painful to move. I went unconscious again and I woke up to Celeste screaming and shaking me. I think she covered my lower body with the sheets from her bed before calling for help. I woke up again and saw Phil talking me, Bryan was by the phone but came to me also, John covering the rest of my body and Eve walked in with Hunter and our road manager." She swallowed and glanced at Punk, who had his arm around her and was sitting on the bed next to her.

"Okay." The detective looked at David and he nodded. "Now, your attorney has notified me that you want to precede the charges against your attacker. The charges are as follows and you will confirm with a yes or no simply." A.J. nodded and he took her hands, nodding at her and giving her a boastful nudge. "Assault and Battery."

"Yes."

"Sexually Assault without consent."

She choked on her tears and Punk rubbed her shoulders again to calm her down. "Yes."

The detective pulled up her files and laid out five photos on his iPad, passing the device to her slowly as Punk looked on. A.J. bit her lips as the detective asked his last question. "Ms. Mendez, out of this line up, can you point out the description match to your attacker?"

She exhaled and Stephanie stood up to walk out, obviously not wanting to hear any more of it. After a few seconds, A.J. pointed to the photo and burst into tears again. The detective looked at the highlight picture and showed it to Hunter, whose nostrils flared, and David closed his eyes, looking disappointed. The detective shut his file, and before David could talk, Punk held up a hand and shook his head.

"I think she needs a moment." Punk spoke up while looking at Hunter. "She's had enough for now."

Hunter glanced down at the petite diva, saw how defeated she looked and how much it hurt to talk about her experience. He didn't want to make her do more than she had to, so he made his call based all that look of devastation around her. "Gentleman, I think we're done here." He turned to them and showed them the door.

When they walked out, he pulled David to him and whispered, "Call the police. Tell them I want that son of a bitch in a cell here in Jersey by the end of the night. I need to update our statement for the press so tell Arn to get ready for a speech, you get your piece ready and I want this press conference to be recorded only. We only say she was attacked okay." He turned to Punk and nodded, walking out the room with everyone and closing the door slowly.

Punk rolled his eyes and continued to comfort A.J. as she sobbed uncontrollably in his chest, having her tears fall on his shirt. He encircled his hand on her back slowly, placing his chin on the top of her head and pulling her in tighter. "Calm down. It's done now. And you did what you had to do." She nodded. "It's gonna be fine." He whispered quietly as she continued.

Outside, Hunter ended his conversation with the cops and officials, and then walked up to his wife, placing a hand on her shoulder and turning her body to face him. She quickly wiped her own tears away and placed a hand on his cheek. "I just… She started talking about it and then I thought about how much shit Dad got from being accused by women for the same thing. Then, the girls…" she stopped and covered her face, letting him pull her in and kiss her cheek. "Sorry."

Hunter shook his head and rubbed her back. "I was also. Don't worry. We're gonna fix this. I promise."

* * *

Punk finally left the room after an hour and walked into the waiting part of the suite, seeing Kaitlyn and Brie sleeping in blankets next to each other on the couch as Sheamus and Daniel stood up to greet him.

"Hey lad." Punk nodded and cleared his throat. "How is she?"

"Well, she irritated her throat from crying a lot and she wouldn't stop shaking, so I had to stay until she got tired of it. She's refusing to take any relaxer meds, so she's just riding out the pain." He looked at the open door and stared at her sleeping, curled up in her Avengers blanket and not making a sound. "I never want to hear her talk about it again."

"That bad?"

"It took everything in me not to bolt out the room to find the guy and join him in that cell for _kicking his ass to death_." Punk growled while whispering.

Sheamus stared at her also. "Did they ask her about leavin'?"

"No, she didn't get that far. Hunter didn't get the chance to talk to her about it before the police came either."

"Well, we know she doesn't want to stay here in New Jersey. She was hell bent on not having to come back to stay." Daniel spoke up. "Maybe she'll just stay in Tampa."

"And do nothing? I doubt it."

"She's not going to give up on being in the ring."

"She's not in the right state of mind to know if she wants to work again." That made the guys show disappointment. With Kelly taking a hiatus, other divas being released or quitting, and the Bellas gone, now was not the time to lose yet another inspiring Diva. "She's going to have to deal with this for months, maybe even years. A place she's dreamed of calling her job for years isn't safe to her anymore."

"You don't know her well enough Punk." Daniel defended quickly. "She may seem like some little girl who gets way too many boo boos on the playground, but she's fought tooth and nail for her chance to work here. She'd rather play touch football than play with dolls." That made Punk and Sheamus snicker and when the girls woke up, he nodded with a small smile. "She's not going to give up. If anything, we need to think about how motivated she's going to be. I know it."

"That was the nicest thing I've heard you say since we shook hands." Kaitlyn muttered as Brie agreed with a tired smile. Kaitlyn yawned and stretched. "She's sleeping?"

"Yeah, she'll be out for a while." Punk frowned at her body and asked. "When was the last time you had a meal?"

"That hasn't come back up and emptied into a garbage can? Last night." She stood up and Sheamus shook his head. "What?"

"Come on. It's almost eleven. We're headed for some breakfast. Daniel's treating." Daniel laughed sarcastically with a frown as Brie awed. "I'll just get something to eat and come back here, since you all are headed to the airport."

"So will I." Kaitlyn spoke up and they all looked at her with concern. She threw up her hands while they glared. "What?"

"You're not coming back here missy." Punk spoke up and she snickered, entertained by his tone.

"Look, I don't know where in your championship contract it notes your authority to tell people what to do, but I'm not a RAW star so that shit isn't applied to me." She teasingly snapped with attitude and Brie gasped jokingly with her boyfriend.

"Nice, never been on the receiving end of a comeback like that." Punk said with shrugged grin.

Sheamus spoke up and took her hand. "A.J. loves ya, but she wants a break from yer attention."

A frown appeared on her face as he told her. "You're serious? I'm being kicked out."

"Just for a night." He continued and she scoffed. "Ya need to eat and relax your eye bag lass. And, seeing you in the ring would make ya best mate really happy. Hunter did say the diva that won the Divas contender spot at Money in the Bank should greet the fans at tonight's house show. And you won." He bragged as Kaitlyn blushed, remembering the night she tossed both Natalya and Beth over the top rope to win a match versus Layla at Summerslam for the belt. The pissed look of the Glamazon and her annoying minion made her smile as she slept that night.

"I can give two shits about the object of Beth's pathetic purpose in life." She snapped and Punk pulled back with Daniel. "I've been here since the beginning and I'm staying."

"Oy, darling." Sheamus sighed as he stood tall against her and she leaned closer also, clearly not intimidated by him and not noticing the entertained glares from everyone. "Don't make this harder than what it is." Sheamus growled back and Kaitlyn rolled her eyes, "I'm warnin' ya. I'll be forced to take you out myself."

Before she could shove her way past Punk and Daniel, Sheamus already had his hands around her waist. He set her up with his arm and placed her over his shoulder fireman style. She struggled against him wildly as Sheamus laughed with the guys. "Stephen, this isn't funny!"

"I wasn't laughin' cause of that lass." Sheamus winked at Brie, who picked up Kaitlyn's bag and walked out first. "Don't worry, I'll make sure ye call before the show."

"Put me down! I don't want to go!"

"This is for you own good kid." Punk said while walking back into the room and staring down at A.J. as she started to wake up and he smiled. "Hey."

"Hey." She whispered and groaned. "Where are you going?"

"Getting some food."

"Oh." She yawned. "I would _love_ some blueberry waffles right now."

He snickered at her before saying, "One order waffles, eggs and bacon coming your way. I'll be right back. Promise." She moaned with her nod. He found himself pushing her hair away from her face and tucking her again while she shifted back into a fetal position. Then he leaned over to kiss her forehead, which Daniel caught, looking on with an interested glare at the two.

Bryan may have not been A.J.'s boyfriend off script, but they were still friends. And as a friend he had a right to feel concerned about Punk's part in all this. He knew about how much A.J. crushed on Punk, but also knows how much quality 'friend' time Punk has been spending with Amy Dumas, her wrestling idol and the ex in his life. He doesn't want A.J. to have any more drama to deal with.

"Babe?" he snapped back as Brie peaked in, smiling at him. "We should go. Kaitlyn is causing a lot of attention and Sheamus can't hold her forever." Daniel nodded before walking out and closing the door, still thinking of ways to work a plan around this.

"You alright? You want anything besides food?" Punk asked with a hand on her leg. She shook her head no as he mouthed okay.

"Please hurry back." She mumbled.

"You got it." A nurse walked in and he walked out. In the lobby, Kaitlyn was still struggling against the Celtic Warrior. Daniel was talking to security and Brie was signing an autograph. "What's going on?"

"Daniel boy is makin sure no one comes in unless its family." Sheamus answered and talked to Kaitlyn right after. "You fighting me won't make it easier lass."

"Then put me DOWN!" that made everyone jump and Sheamus just chuckled, looking down at the straight edge superstar with an amused grin.

"Ya like them crazy, but a feisty woman is this Irish's lad preference." Punk threw his head back and laughed, walking out with everyone.

* * *

You likey? Spread the word about it!

From this point on, this is more about A.J. healing, a couple forming, Punk being there for her and I promise, the attacker will be revealed soon. I jumped in months to get to pre-Summerslam and the next chapter will be Summerslam week, just so the story can move better. Also, Daniel is not a douche in my world. I have someone else in mind for that role. But I'll never tell you who. *winky wink*

And Thank you for you reviews! It really keeps me going, especially now that this storyline may be over. And as A.J. and Daniel prepare for their nupitals, which will hopefully be the hot mess that all Raw weddings are, I will ship on with all of you through this story. and yes, i hope CM Punk, or Dean Amborse, hell even Stone Cold Steve Austin, stops this madness.


	5. Back Out There 1

Hell-o.

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, the effects of Raw 1000 are still lingering. *Best. Raw. To. Date.*

I own nothing WWE has. If I did, Punk and AJ would be the new Vicki and Edge of Raw, only much hotter. And John Cena would have cashed in that briefcase the heel way instead of wasting it the honorable way.

* * *

August 15th 2012

Hoboken Memorial Hospital

Hoboken, NJ

Kaitlyn, John Cena, and CM Punk all walked into the hospital with smiles on their faces. A.J.'s time in the hospital finally came to an end after being there for two months, and Kaitlyn just took a really interesting ride from the airport with Punk and John, who had some make a wish work in New York and decided to tag along to escort A.J. back to Tampa, from their last show.

"So which is it?" Kaitlyn rolled her eyes in annoyance as Punk asked her the same question he'd been asking for hours. She glared at him and nodded towards the people in the elevator with them. Punk took notice and glanced at a female doctor with a smirk. "Hi. We're about to talk about sex, love and murder." Kaitlyn huffed and John just laughed, causing the doctor to do the same. "You don't mind do you?"

"Not at all. Enjoy." Her floor rang and the doctor stepped out, waving at them. When the door closed, Kaitlyn looked at the superstar with a frown.

"I knew you were honest and a lovable jerk, but I didn't picture you as a crass individual."

"Woah there, calm your tits. Don't change the subject. Just answer me and you'll be free."

The door opened and they all walked out. Kaitlyn stopped at the front desk and after she signed them all in, she slowly turned to them. "Fine." She sighed before replying. "The King, Dolph, Sheamus."

John laughed at full volume as Punk just stared at her shy grin. "Really? You would kill Jerry Lawler and fuck Dolph Ziggler to marry Sheamus?" John managed to get out.

"I can't believe you'd fuck Ziggles the Dolphin." Punk said, looking disgusted. "I would have chosen Jerry over that."

"That was too hard. I like them all but if I had to kill one…" She shrugged with a chuckling smile. "I can't let Nick die. He's my friend."

"And poor King Lawler should?" John interjected, shaking his head in disappointment. "What has he ever done to you?"

"I…I told you guys I hate this game anyway." She took the passes and gave them one, then looked at John with an exaggerated frown. "Ohhhh…. says the guy who would have boned Mae Young and killed Beth Phoenix. All to marry the Hoeski." John stopped smiling as Punk laughed. "And I'm messed up."

"That is weird man." Punk added.

"Um…you've dated the Glamazon. How was hell on ice?" John turned to Punk, and as he winced John just nodded. "Yeah, rocking Mae's world for one night is worth more than a few months of pain." Kaitlyn shook her head as she walked into the room, noticing right away that April's bags were packed, but her bed was made and all her gifts were gone. No one really freaked out since the letter on the pillow told them where she would be.

"I had to something important. Wait here or come to the 5th floor, end of hall right if I'm not back. April. P.S. don't make a scene." John read out loud as Punk looked around the room with Kaitlyn confused. "5th floor?"

Punk stared at a directory with a smile. John and Kaitlyn did the same with a frown. "She could be trying to keep up with Johnny C over here."

* * *

"Suddenly, the cloud fortress lurched and began to fall out of the sky. Magneto raised his hands. Energy crackled around him as he used his mutant power to keep the fortress from crashing to the ground." A.J. narrated with excitement to the children, who sat in the play room and paid attention to every word she read with bright smiles and eager ears. Her voice was almost restored to its natural tone and her face healed perfectly, but her foot was still in a cast, ribs where still taped and she had to keep the arm brace for another day till she got home. Also, it was recommended for her to attend physical and mental therapy when she gets home.

Kaitlyn, Punk and John looked on with amused smirks of their own, watching all the children give them their full devotion as she read from a Marvel children's book. She had one toddler sitting on her lap with her hands on the book and she held it up for her, looking at her with a bright grin of her own.

Hunter was already watching and looked back to see them all walking in. Punk and John shook hands as Kaitlyn received a hug. "She was returning from rehab and her X-Rays earlier when the kid in her lap saw her in the elevator. She cried tears of joy and jumped at her. She was so happy that all the other kids heard it and…" he pointed to her still reading and smiling with them. "She wanted to do this."

"How did she take your decision?" Kaitlyn asked as Hunter sighed.

"What decision?" Punk gave Hunter a frown as he pulled them out to the hallway.

"April might voluntarily take a leave."

"She what?" John rolled his eyes while Kaitlyn watched Punk get upset. Why he was getting upset made some sense. He has been back and forth with her to the hospital, and spent his days off here before they headed oversees, but how upset he was getting drew up a lot of question marks for her. "She might volunteer or you might _release_ her?"

"She made the request to leave for a year. I had to talk her into staying out of action for only a few months." Kaitlyn answered.

"The Broad suggested that I release her completely, but I fought it out. Vince voted against it and convinced them that we need her around. He wants her to have some time to heal, and with the shit coming up, she needs a break."

"So, she's going to come back before the holidays and maybe before we head to Asia. But she really does need to be away from the business, for a while." Kaitlyn added while peaking at her best friend, who was still reading to the kids and hiding all her pain around the cameras that looked on. She remembered when A.J.'s smile being a lot brighter than that, and it was really hurting her to see someone who used to have such a natural high all the time, and the most vibrate, full of fun person around look broken and dull, along with defeated. "And I just really want her to heal. Just so she can come back and do what she loves."

Punk sighed and looked with her, noticing the way A.J. avoided the press and focusing on her fans with a small smile. "Well, if that what she really wants..."

"Then we should just be supportive of her. Let her know were still here and we will be here when she gets back." John interrupted and Punk nodded assertively while John patted his shoulders.

"We are." Kaitlyn nodded as Hunter agreed.

"In fact, we can start now." Punk walked back into the room and brushed past all the clapping people and appeared behind the children. "A.J., can't believe we missed the Marvel heroes reading party."

A.J. looked up and her grin grew, noticing all the children start to cheer with smiles for the superstar. Hunter looked on with Kaitlyn and John while Punk took for a chair, placing it in an empty space between her and the children. She locked eyes with him and he offered her a half smile to her, then focused his attention on the girl in her lap with long brown curled hair, bright brown eyes that were magnified behind a pair of green glass and a huge smile. "And who's this beautiful little carbon copy of you?"

The little girl just kept her head down, covering her face with her hands and starting to cry. A.J. tried to get her to look up and everyone just awed, knowing that the little fangirl didn't know what to do about all this attention from her favorite wrestlers. "This is Caitlyn with a C." A.J. answered.

"With a C huh?" he looked towards the door and saw Kaitlyn putting her hand to her face and smiling. "You know her best friend's the one with the K right?" Caitlyn nodded and finally looked at him, but still had a blush on her cheeks. "You wanna meet our best friends?"

"Since when are we friends?" John asked as he walked in, pulling Kaitlyn with them. This made the kids go ballistic, getting up and hugging both of them. The nurse tried to calm them down but John waved them off, letting them know they were okay.

"Sorry kids." The children focused some of their attention on the WWE champ when he spoke. "It must have been something I said." He said with a yikes grin as the adults laughed with them. "Now, back to you miss." The little girl looked up and he focused on the white cast that occupied her entire left hand. "What happened here?"

"A dog did it." she whispered as A.J. mouthed animal attack. He nodded at them and looked over to John.

"You got a marker man?" he asked and the little girl started looking down again, feeling A.J. hug her a little. One of the nurses passed him a marker and he pulled the lid off with this mouth, looking for an open spot on her hand. "Is right here okay or where you saving that John?"

She shook her head no and said, "It's for you." Everyone awed and he laughed, signing in with a huge smile before passing it to John, who had to kneel down and sign another spot. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He winked and that made A.J.'s heart completely melt. He loved being around his fans and did what he could to make them smile. "So, do we have time for another book?"

A.J. looked at Hunter, who just grinned with a small thumb, making her sigh. "I think so. But the council has voted and it has to be about superheroes."

"There's no book about you Ms. Lee, so any other superheroes I can read about?" A.J. rolled her eyes and John just raised an eyebrow, looking back to see Kaitlyn confused also. Flirting in front of kids wasn't in the storyline. What's going through his head?

"I'm not…"

"You're a hero missy." He glanced at the kid as Kaitlyn just finished signing the cast. "You think she's a hero right? You're hero?" the girl nodded and Punk stuck out his tongue, receiving one from A. J. in return as he picked up a book from the pile, sighing positively at it. "Here we go. Marvel Heroes presents Superman and Wonderwoman. It's not Batman but it will do."

"Nice choice." John said as he and Kaitlyn decided to take spots on the floor around the kids. Kaitlyn saw another little girl was struggling to see over all the kids in the back, so she picked her up and placed her on her lap as John surrounded himself with a group of boys on the ground, listening as Punk started to read to them.

* * *

"So, you're really gonna do this huh?" Punk asked as he picked up some of A.J. bags, hauling up on his shoulder and waiting for John to help her into her wheelchair.

"Do what?" she slowly placed her arm back in the sling and hand Kaitlyn help her with her sweat jacket. She just signed her release papers and was finally ready to go home.

"Leave us hanging." John answered, which earned him an elbow from Kaitlyn. A.J. sighed and closed her eyes to look down. When she asked Vince and Hunter for the time off, they looked really upset about it also. Losing the women in the company was starting to become a huge red flag to the fans. They couldn't blame the great female wrestlers for leaving though. Ever since they discontinued the Woman's championship belt and downplayed the Divas division completely (you can't even get a good bra and panties match just for kicks these days with all the PG stuff), the girls were left to sit around and do nothing.

So the women, who loved to do everything in the ring, either left for TNA, retired early or were released from the company like their hard work and sacrifice to get there meant nothing. It was the company's way of saying 'thanks for being here, but you're being replaced because we don't know what to do with you'. And it's still hard for a rookie not to get frustrated, seeing as it takes years for someone to take a chance on you before you even get a storyline, and the fact that a storyline determines your fate makes it worst.

With everything that happened to A.J., she was sure Hunter was coming with release papers for her. Instead he asked her if and when she would be ready to come back, hoping she wouldn't walk away from her dreams just yet. It's like he read her mind.

She said she was going to wrestle until she couldn't so it anymore and she meant it.

"I just need some time to myself." She took backpack from Kaitlyn's hand and looking at everyone. "And I want a break. The doctor said I should regroup, no matter how long it takes."

"I know that feeling. I can only get a break if something on my body breaks or falls off." John joked while they walked out. "But, if that what you really want to do, we have your back."

"I know but…I am going to miss it all."

"Then, we will check on you and be around like you never left." Kaitlyn leaned over, kissing her best friends cheek to cheek as they all entered the elevator.

"Um…any idea what you're going to do with all this time?" Punk asked, scratching his beard as she looked up, getting the same questionable look from everyone.

"I could start training more with all the time I have." She bit her lip while they stood in the elevator. "I really don't know."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." John answered as they got out the hospital and got to the parking lot outside, seeing Hunter standing outside of a black Navigator with Eve and Sheamus talking. "Until we land in Tampa, we'll help you out. At your house, we'll take up all your time with lots of snacks, comic books, an Xbox full of three seasons of the Justice League and WWE content and a nice warm bed."

A.J. looked shocked at Kaitlyn, who just beamed for her. "You're coming with me?"

"Kaitlyn and I have these two days off, so we are going with you." Punk spoke up and as the guys took her bags, Punk grabbed her, helping her out the chair slowly. She gave him the craziest look when he cradled her. "Hold on." With her arm hooked around his neck, she was led to the car, past all the media and annoying press anchors coming their way.

"A.J., you're okay thank god." Eve was the first to embrace her, and A.J. sighed a little, knowing Eve must have still felt traumatized from what she walked in and must have been worried sick about her. "I bet you're happy as hell to be outta there."

"Yeah, I really want to eat. Hospital food really sucks." Sheamus laughed while he hugged her. "And sleep in a bed that's bigger than me."

"We're just as happy you're out of there." Hunter was the last to embrace her before pulling apart and smiling. "If you change your mind at anytime…."

"I'll be sure to call you. Your cell is number 9 on speed dial." She cut him off with a nod. He sighed and she gave him another weak smile. "I wouldn't be gone too long. Promise."

"Good. We need someone like you kid. Remember that." Hunter turned to everyone and nodded, then looked at Sheamus with a serious stare. "Stephen, I'll be ready when you are." Sheamus nodded and Hunter waved off before walking up to his escort car.

"I'm just here to see you off. I have to head back to LA for to get ready for a late night appearance and promote Summerslam." Eve said next.

"Oh no, Eve, you're not eating with us?" Eve frowned as John and Punk playfully gasped with sad pouts. Kaitlyn smiled with Sheamus as Eve looked conflicted. "You have to come."

"I don't want to miss my plane it broads at four…."

"We'll go to a diner here in town. It's literally 15 minutes away from Newark and we can just go check in early." She pleaded and Eve shook her head. "Please Eve."

"Yeah Eve, don't ruin the party." John added and Eve shot him a glare, causing him to laugh.

"Party pooping is a crime Steve." Punk added with her nickname, making Kaitlyn giggle and Eve roll her eyes, grinning with them finally.

"Whatever. I have six hours anyway." John fisted down with a yes and Eve laughed. "Oh, before we go , I do want you to say hello to some who missed you." Eve leaned into the front of car as A.J. slowly sat down in the back row with Kaitlyn. She heard barking and covered her smile, watching Eve bring out her small tan brown Chihuahua in a dog carry on.

"Nacho!" A.J. yelled as Eve unzipped the bag and her dog jumped out, waging his small tale and barking with excitement to his owner. Kaitlyn leaned over and passed the dog to her, watching A.J. kiss and make up with her child, but most importantly, she looked happy. "You missed me? I missed you weirdo." The dog then calmed down and places himself on A.J. lap, snuggling on her legs' valley and facing to the side, looking at Kaitlyn with half closed eyes.

"He's been the new favorite backstage" Punk looked at him with starching his ears. "He's kinda lazy though."

"I know. But he's calm now. Normally, he pees on people when he's happy."

"Oh no, he peed. The first day we walked into your house, he went bonkers." Kaitlyn said as Eve laughed with her. "He peed on Kofi's leg and his Nike's when we took him to RAW last week."

"And he humped Layla's leg." A.J. gasped and tickled her dog, causing Nacho to turn over and raise his leg with his tongue out, waiting for A.J. to continue. "We also may have spoiled him a little."

"I see that. I can tell that Kelly may have something to do with the new Burberry collar and name tag."

"That was me, actually." Kaitlyn winced.

"Der were gonna place the little fella in a matchin' jacket. I stopped the madness though." Sheamus spoke up and tickled him a little before sighing. "Listen, I'll meet ya all at the diner in a bit. I gotta handle a few things with Hunter."

"Oh, kay. You're boarding the plane with us right?" A.J. asked, looking a little disappointed that he was leaving also.

"Oh course I will darling, but I need to do this." He gave her a quick hug and waved to everyone. Eve nodded at him before he walked away and A.J. missed the look of anxiousness on his face. But everyone else did and they raised some silent eyebrows.

"Stephen!" he stopped before entering the car and looked back to see Kaitlyn running over to him. "You um…" she starched her forehead and sighed. "You shouldn't go right now. Not if you're still upset."

"I don't want anyone there to see this. Hunter's gonna stand by so I'll be okay." He sighed with his hands near his face, avoiding contact with Kaitlyn's eyes. "But I need to. I needa know what, and I needa know _why_." He chuckled nervously and Kaitlyn just nodded.

"Then I'm coming." Sheamus shook his head as she rubbed his shoulders.

"I think ya seen enough. Ya don't need to see him."

"Okay." Kaitlyn dug into her pink fanny pack and sighed relief when she found what she was looking for. While looking at the pale Irish man with her tan brown eyes and her small smile on her face, she took one of his huge hands and placed a small toy in it. He raised an eyebrow at the soft item. "Promise me you won't laugh."

"Is it bad if I'm doin' it already." He joked as she gasped, playfully punching his arm and watching him flash those beautiful pearly white of his while laughing. "I'm takin' ya serious here sweetheart."

"You better be." Sheamus opened his hand as she pointed to it awkwardly. He looked at her with amusement and she weakly chuckled before talking. "So I will assume that you didn't watch my episode of WWE toyz…" He shook his head while she wimped an okay before continuing. "Um… this is Harrison."

"A whale ay?" he looked at it and chuckled more while inspecting it. "The lil' fella's without an eye."

"I know that. But he's lucky."

"O- Kay." He nodded.

"I was at this gas station or a 'gas petrol filling station' as you European's dub it when we toured in England last year." he watched her as she talked about it and he noticed the way her eyes lit up whenever to got into a really deep, exciting conversion with her and how she blushed whenever he flirted with her, finding it to be the most beautiful feature she had on her. "And when I walked in with Derrick and Percy to buy some snacks, I spotted him on the counter, with his one eye winking at me. So the clerk said I can have it. And it's kinda been a good luck charm for me. Since I've had it, I've been winning my singles matches."

"So, T'was tucked it in yer bra when you won yer contender's spot for the Divas championship belt?" she blushed again and licked her bottom lip. "Cause if so, I can use somethin' like this for my match Sunday."

"Ya can't cram him down yer spandex me Muppet lookin' fella." She imitated his Irish accent as they laughed together. She closed his fingers around it and she cleared her throat, trying not to act on the tingles that travelled through her arms when her skin touched his. "I kiss him before my matches, and whenever I feel uneasy about something, I rub on him, and it completely takes my mind off of it. So, when you get there, you may not want to kiss him, but a rub for easy nerves will make you feel better."

Sheamus looked at the black and white object and placed it in his pocket. "I'll call ya when I leave and head back." Kaitlyn bowed and before walking away, he pulled her hand grinned for her one last time. "Thank you."

* * *

"John, you're supposed to tell me what's going on. All I see are moving bodies."

"Oh, sorry A.J. Um… he put the toy whale in his pocket and is still blushing at her. She's blushing…"

"Your best friend's being oogly eyed with him. And…then they bone!"

"Phil, stop it." Eve hushed Punk, then gasped with Kaitlyn placed a kiss on his cheek. "Awww."

"Did she just kiss him?" A.J. frowned and Punk nodded while looking. Kaitlyn slowly moving away from him with their faces only inches away from each other, while her hand placed itself firmly on his chest. "They look really close."

"Oh, he's leaning in." Eve shrieked, clapping with a huge smile. They'd been dancing around each other for months and didn't make any date moves. All Sheamus had to do was seal the deal with a kiss and boom, a Smackdown power couple is born.

John and Punk smiled at one another and thought this move would have been too early. With all the fun they were having at Kaitlyn's expense, kissing Sheamo would have made her day, and they just could let them do that. But not right now.

So Eve and A.J. looked on, not noticing John slowly lean into the driver seat, looking at Punk with a huge smile, then back to the couple. He made a soft innocent frown as he pushed the car horn quickly. Eve and A.J. jumped, and then glanced over to John and Punk's heckling, scoffing and frowning.

The horns of the truck caught Kaitlyn off guard, making her jump away and getting Sheamus to back away as well. "You guys suck!" A.J. said while she lightly shoved Punk and Eve glared at John.

"They were finally gonna kiss you jerk!" Eve yelled as John just shrugged.

"And now they won't. Sorry." Punk snorted. After a quick kiss on the forehead, Sheamus stepped into his truck and she waved him off, walking away with a pout as he drove out the parking lot.

When Kaitlyn got back to the car, she not only noticed the missing driver, but how A.J., Punk, John and Eve all had their faces next to the window and smiles across their faces at her.

"Hey, is the Celtic Warrior gonna be okay?" Punk joked as Eve snickered a little, confirming what Kaitlyn already knew.

"You tell me since spying on us worked so well for you." She sat in an empty seat next to A.J. as John wiggled his eyebrows at Eve.

"A.J. couldn't see without glasses and it was John's idea to look for her." Punk pointed out as John quickly objected, giving Kaitlyn a pleading look as she rolled hers.

"And he cockblocked Sheamus." Eve added with a tight smile.

"K, babe, you know it's not my style."

"Yeah, whatever." She looked at her best friend with a tight smirk as she played with her dog more. "Say it."

"You know me, I only think it. You normally say it." A.J. shrugged as Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. "I never get to hold Harrison. I've known you for five years. _Years_. He's around for three months and he gets the one eye whale?" Kaitlyn shook her head and A.J. scoffed. "Never thought you'd give that to anyone."

"But then again, Sheamus isn't just anyone." Eve jeered as John chuckled with her and made Punk gasped teasingly.

"It's just a toy. It's good luck for anyone. So he needed it." Everyone looked at her with stale faces and her hands went up in frustration then turned to look out the window. "What I do with my lucky charms is my business and he needs a charm so he's borrowing mine."

"Sure, next thing you know you'll be giving out eggs for the bun in the oven." John joked while they still laughed, then he stood up to get in the drivers' seat. "I need directions to this place."

"You're driving?" Punk asked as John looked back with a clueless frown. "I have a very serious match with you this weekend and A.J. just left a hospital. Please give the blame to the plane for our deaths." John gave him a weak smile before taking the directions from Eve's phone.

"You can't sit up there alone." Eve said with a smile and John looked back again, shrugging.

"No one offered to keep me company."

Eve then quickly jumped out the car and ran to the front, buckling in as John looked at her figure, eyeing the dark blue pin up style dressed that hugged all her curves with a huge smile. "John." He snapped his head up to see her smiling and pointing at the road.

"Right, I'm driving. Just lead the way."

Punk took out his phone and A.J. yawned noisily. "You alright?"

"Yeah I just, I want to sleep." Eve and Kaitlyn both looked back with concern and Punk just frowned. She shook her head, "I really haven't been getting a lot while being in a hospital."

"Um… it's cool. We're gonna be there in about 10 mins…"

"It won't take long. Promise." She grabbed her iPhone and headphone and put them on, putting on something noise could pass and lying on Kailtyn's leg, cuddling up and closing her eyes.

Nacho barked and Punk picked him up, having him sit on his lap to look out the window. "I want to call it weird given the circumstances, but I thought she slept at the hospital before we came." John stated while Kaitlyn sat back, looking down at A.J. and sighing.

"The therapist said she would do things that would help her erase what happened to her. That means taking a shower, changing her clothes a lot, avoiding things that would remind her of that night. She has had trouble sleeping. She doesn't like to sleep alone, so I guess the last few days have been hard on her." Kaitlyn answered.

"Well, whatever she's comfortable with, we'll just deal with it." Punk shrugged. "So… Kaitlyn, is your foreign lover gonna be okay?" Kaitlyn shook her head as John laughed with Punk.

"He's gonna be fine." She snapped. "I just hope he's okay after."

"I can't imagine what's running through his mind right now. I mean, seeing him is gonna hurt the big guy." John commented as Eve just sighed. "When he heard, he just looked so broken. He almost lost his focus during last night match." She shook her head while thinking of what happened while he faced Jack Swagger in the ring on Tuesday. He made a huge error while using his own signature Brogue Kick and hit Jack's nose instead of the side of his face, causing the All American-American to have a bloody nose. It wasn't seen on TV since they changed the angle but the fans ringside noticed how off he was during the match. No one even tried to ask him about, knowing they would light a fuse to a huge dynamite stick. But they all knew he was bothered and upset about everything.

"Well, hopefully, he's gonna kick garbage cans instead of someone's _arse_." Punk joked as he glanced back at Kaitlyn and she scoffed looking out the window and thinking more about her favorite Red haired hooligan and what he was about to walk into.

* * *

Raw Rant: I hate Bandwagon fans soooooo much after Monday. All the boo punk and punk sucks going around, I give it the suck it sign. The man is protecting what he worked hard to keep, the WWE belt. If this is the heel turn for Punk, it was done perfectly.

As for the Wedding, laughed from the beginning to the end when AJ skipped her mental ass around Daniel and blew him a kiss, then walked out of Raw as or NEW GM and not his wife. Daniel v Charlie at Summerslam? No, No, NO. Lesnar v. Triple H? YES,YES,YES! DX was hilarious, totally bowed down for my queens, Trish, Amy (who looked damn good) and Stephanie the boss. I had no complaints about the show, only that I hope it's like this at Raw 1001.

I just threw you guys a clue on who the attacker may be, but because you guys have been soooo awesome to me with your reviews, favorites and alerts, I'm posting the new chapter 7-26-12. That's tomorrow. hehe. But guess away!

*kisses*


	6. Back Out There 2

I own nothing. Enjoy and Review please!

* * *

_Essex County Correctional Facility_

_Elizabeth, NJ_

Drew Galloway stared up at the plain white ceiling of his cell and just took it all in. This was it. Life with restriction, barred provisions, isolation and surveillance every day due to the crimes he committed.

This wasn't the American dream he painted for himself. When he decided to become a professional athlete, he dreamed of coming here, finding a home, an amazing woman to marry and becoming rich. He thought he finally had it. When he met his wife at work, it completed the dream. He was already on top with Vince McMahon and his officials as the next raising star, and he was in America, doing what he loved for a living. Everything was great.

Years later, he started seeing the plans from creative stop coming and his matches' card looked empty after WrestleMania. When Taryn told him she wanted a divorce, his heart broke. But he couldn't blame her. They fought continually about his travelling and he got anger to the point where things broke, causing her to walk away completely. His dream was crumbling and he didn't know how to handle it.

So he picked up a drug. One that caused the downfall of many people he worked with and even killed some. But he was desperate. If he performed like his best friends Wade Barrett and Sheamus, he would be right up there with them. So he took them and hit the gym, showing Hunter than he was ready for more. More as in the belt he needed to make him a Triple Crown winner like CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler or the Big Show, so the money flow could increase and Taryn would stick around.

But Hunter still told him he needed to wait. That pissed him off. Wait for what? A stupid storyline again? He watched AJ, a girl who worked for the company for half the time he's been there and she's on Smackdown as Daniel's girlfriend. Now she's involved with CM Punk and gets more time than him without having to wrestle. Yet, everyone is starting to love her. And there he was, getting his ass kicked by huge idiots like Brodus Clay with a PG gimmick. He had nothing against them, but he needed to be where they were. So that night at a bar, after coming from a Pay Per View he wasn't apart off, he drank his shot of Maker's Mark and saluted his shit situation.

One after the other he lost count and after taking one more, he felt the effect. He never knew feeling and thinking under the influence were different. But after waking up in his rental car the next morning, with his hands swelling and his clothes blood, he licked his bloody lips and returned to his room, cleaned up and nursed his hang over before heading home to Tampa and vowing never to drink again.

He thought he was okay until Justin called him to talk about A.J. being attacked and raped in her room.

Drew hardly cried over things, but it hit him hard when he put the pieces together. After thinking of his swelled up hand, the blood on his body, and the way he woke up that morning, he broke down. He didn't realize his mind spoke for him. His anger acted out on him, knowing how A.J. was part of the problem. She wasn't expecting him to be mad, but he clearly showed her he was, in the worst way possible.

It took him four weeks. He tried to avoid the police and the company, knowing they would come looking for him. He went to his scheduled appearances and they kept looking for the guy who did it. The authorizes would come every show and test them all, seeing if their DNA matched the ones on the rape kit. And after weeks of thinking, he couldn't take it. Before they got to him, he skipped a Smackdown taping and went to New Jersey, voluntarily placing himself under arrest.

She didn't deserve it. A.J. happened to be one of many coworkers who urged the fact that his time was coming soon. She believed in him and he paid her back by ruining her life and violating her body, physically and mentally. He didn't mean to do it. He can't live knowing he did that to her.

So he pulled out the pen and crampy notebook paper the prison proved for him and started writing. He didn't know what to say, but he kept the pen moving across the paper. It had no structure or format, but he knew they wouldn't send the letter to his victim, so he wrote it to someone in a way that would be read to her.

Drew knew this won't heal her or make things right, but he needed to talk to her. _He had to talk to her. _

Just as he wrapped up the letter, a knock on his door snapped him out. "Galloway, you got a visitor."

* * *

When Sheamus passed the security inside, he studied his surroundings with a straight face and his head spinning in circles. He couldn't believe that the prisons in America looked so huge and well-guarded, yet had plenty of restrictions and limited resources, along the dark and cold feeling once he entered the building. He walked into the visitor's room and looked at all the people there; being separated from someone they loved who was going to away from them for either a long time or a life time. He never saw himself visiting anyone in here, and he definitely never thought he would know anyone that ended up in here.

As he sat down, he felt his pockets for the little whale- Harrison he remembered- that Kaitlyn handled to him early, smiling to himself as he remembered her little speech about it, but mostly he remembered her. Everything about her was just refreshing for him. They'd been talking more and hanging out more after the incident. His phone would ring in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep and he would have a talk with her to calm his nerves before a match and bring his anger down after.

He wished he took the deal she offered when the door buzzed and the man walked in. He was staring at the man who was the cause of all her pain, all his anxiety and the man who changed the life of April Jeanette Mendez after one horrible night.

Mostly, he was staring at the man who worked hard to get into the business with him, travelled the world with him, and was a man he called the brother away from home. He picked up the phone to talk to a man who's now known as a criminal to everyone.

"I didn't think you'd come." Sheamus sighed at the appearance of his closest friend and fellow co-worker, noticing how tired and defended he looked. "You're my first visit in weeks."

"I know. It was hell tryin' to get an approval to come here. But I fought it."

"I know. Wade's talkin' about coming in a few days once Summerslam wraps up. I can't get through to Tiff…but I don't blame her."

"She'll be okay. I'll talk to her. She just needs time lad."

Sheamus watched as the man ran his hands thru his hair, sighing out his stress and shaking his head. "Hear she got released today. She goin' home?"

"Back to Tampa. She'll be out for a while too. And…she's proceeding with the case lad."

"I know Stephen. The lawyer showed up, told me my options and what will happen. I've really stepped in shit man."

Sheamus exhaled as he continued to talk. "Drew, as yer best lad, I need to know. What made you do somethin' so sickin', so violent, and so damaging to someone who didn't deserve it?"

"I don't know." Drew bit his lip and looked at his friend with tear filled eyes, never having a crying bone in his body about what was happening until now.

"I need ya to know lad. _She_ needs to know."

"I know…" he snapped, looking at the guard, who had just finish looking over the letter he wrote and walked out, hold the letter and talking to Hunter about it. "Listen, I know if I talk to her now, she's not going to handle it. So, I need your help." Sheamus scoffed while Drew looked desperate. "I really need ya brother."

"I know for a fact she's not ready to talk to you right now."

"But she'll talk to you." Sheamus sighed while shaking his head. "I really need to do this."

* * *

_Uncle Benny's Pizzeria_

_Hoboken, NJ_

"So, I told this jabroni, 'You asshole. You can't treat her like a dog, you have to treat her like a queen. She's a woman, she's beautiful. You show her she beautiful and you will get good time in bed. That's the way it is." A.J. covered her face in shame as Eve snickered with John. Kaitlyn placed her fisted hand under her chin as Punk did the same, listening to advice from the co-owner of the restaurant, who not only rolled out his red carpet when the WWE superstars entered the pizzeria, but he was so happy to see one of his most famous and valued customer come in.

"See, you are beautiful. You will have men that treat you like queen. Not some _i__diota_ _perdente_ who can't …" He pointed to his genitals and Eve gasped as John laughed with everyone else. "He can't get it up so he hit woman." Punk laughed as Kaitlyn just placed a hand on her chest, feeling the love from him.

"Aww thank you." A.J. frowned at her best friend, who looked at her and shrugged innocently. "But, I don't have a boyfriend. And you're son looks very handsome, but…I'm interested in someone…and.." she glanced at John's shocked face and then after curling her finger for him to come closer, leaning over to tell him something and he nodded. "…he's on his way. So, if you relay this same message to him, it would be great." Kaitlyn winked as the owner laughed.

"I tell him to stop being a punk. _Bacio la ragazza_!" he yelled as the server came with the order and he stood up to walk away.

"Okay, I make the best pizza pie for my April, my _anello in bellezza_." A.J. blushed while he kissed her hand, and then pointed to Punk and he pointed back. "You kick that Daniel ass so I make good pasta for you too!"

"Woah." John watched the server placed the thirty-two inch pizza on the table. April noticed the candy store dream smile on their faces and knew John would have a great sleep on the plane from good eating. "A.J. you weren't kidding huh?"

"Nope, I told you this is New Jersey pizza."

"How on earth are you guys going to finish this?" Eve said, looking at the pizza in amazement as her food arrived.

"Sheamus is going to love it." A.J. said, while looking at Kaitlyn with a frown. "And, must you indorse the creepy everywhere we go?"

"He wanted me to go out with your old crush. I was doing the hoes before bros rule. Plus, I would have gotten a date if somebody hadn't ruined it for me." She sneered Punk's way while he pointed to John.

"What's taking Sheamus so long anyway? Where'd he go?" everyone just got silent when A.J. asked. Saying anything about Sheamus visiting her attacker was out of the question. Hunter told them it was best to keep shut about it until it was ready to be talk about.

"Stephanie wanted him to do a B.A. Star gig last minute." Eve saved it with a white lie as Punk just smiled at her, getting a nod in response. "He should be done by now. I know Kaitlyn's happy about that." John formed an o with his lips as Kaitlyn frowned towards Eve.

"I know who thought you looked very hot in army gear on the Stars Earn Strips premiere." She retorted, causing Punk's smile to grow as Eve's fell and John nudged her to shut up.

"What…"

"Hey, look who finally decided to join us!" Punk stopped them once Sheamus walked into the restaurant. Even he saw the pizza and widened his eyes. "I know, A.J.'s number one fan wanted to make sure we left full."

"No kiddin'." He took a seat next to Eve, across from Kaitlyn. "What are we waiting for?"

"For A.J. to get off the iPhone." Punk said with a nod her way. A.J. had been wrapped up in her phone since they got in the restaurant and Punk just watched all her facial expression. Varying from shock to anxious to worry, he figured out what she was doing. "What are you gonna say?"

"What?" A.J. finally looked up and saw Punk with a half-smile looking at her while digging in with everyone. "Oh, I'm just looking at all the tweets. The fans are saying get well really soon, the hashtag of week is 'where in the world is AJ Lee' and 'WTF is AJ?', and are hoping to see me back before Summerslam, saying that Daniel is a…." She scrolled down her twitter feed and smiled as she found it. "_Is an egotistical, self-centered, dirty beard, goat-faced scared bitch. He's the reason why A.J's gone. AJ please come skipping back._ That's from CrayCrayboutAJ on Twitter." Eve laughed with John as Kaitlyn looked over.

"Or this one," John got on his Twitter and laughed "DemonicXalic says: _WWEDanielByran doesn't care that WWEAJLee has disappeared...time for ass kicking by #BestintheWorld CMPunk_." Punk snickered and A.J. shook her head still looking.

"Oh here's Kaitlyn's fav. UnbelievablyRandom _says WWEAJLee isn't skipping around slapping people, I don't miss it. Can't say the same for wink LOL Hashtag: Where in the world is AJ Lee?_" she exhaled and everyone laughed at it while A.J. frowned. "I worry about the WWE Universe and whether or not they know the difference between kayfabe and reality."

"Some people do, some people don't." John shrugged. "No matter how cool Dwayne and I become, I'm still a fruity pebble."

"Yeah, being a Hoeski is popular now. I wonder why?" Eve screwed her face towards him as John raised his hands while chewing on his pizza.

"I didn't know it was going to be that serious." He mumbled out.

"Do know who you are? You're the Michael Phelps of the WWE. If you say on your page 'Nothing like reading 50 shades of grey, but 50 shades of John sounds better', twitter would explode and girls will reply with GIFs on Tumb1r." Kaitlyn joked as John agreed with a chuckle.

"Nice one. I wonder how out come up with all this."

"I've been wondering for three years. Still haven't cracked the secret." A.J. muttered as Kaitlyn just shrugged.

"Those are secrets you'll just have to learn on your own." Kaitlyn gave a sly smile as she eating, nodding to the phone. "So, what are your gonna say?'

A.J. glanced at everyone and sighed, wishing she had the answer for everyone, but she really didn't know what to say without throwing anyone under the bus. Also, she wanted to give her followers hope so that they would keep their eyes open for her and still love her till she returns.

"I think it's best to keep the mystery alive."

* * *

_Six Hours Later_

_A.J.'s apartment, Tampa, FL_

When A.J. stepped into her one bedroom condo in Tampa, she thought you would feel better and relieved to be home. Her apartment was clean, just as Kaitlyn and Derrick told her while they gloated about doing their housework magic, her posters from her No Way Out promo proudly hung in the living room along with all her other photos from her days in FCW and Women Uncensored, and her kitchen was stacked with enough food to feed her for days.

Yet, knowing that she was going to be home for the next few months with nothing but comic books, her dog and episodes of RAW and Smackdown, along with having some quack see if she's sane or not and her morning runs with Nacho everyday made her feel uneasy over her decision to leave.

"Wow, I thought you were skinny now but this…." John pointed to a photo of her posing with Jay Lethal as King and Queen of the WSU/NWS tournament sitting on her end table. "This is borderline anorexia sweetheart."

"Yeah. Jay had to stuff meat down my throat so I could gain some weight." She joked while Punk took away the plate she ate from and Kaitlyn threw away the garbage she used to cook with help from Sheamus. "But those where the learning days."

"Jamar Jay freakin Lethal." Punk laughed as he remembered his Ring of Honor and TNA days with the high flying jersey kid, knowing that A.J. learned from one of the best just by how she wrestled in the ring and how charismatic she was. The six time TNA X Division champ taught his ex-girlfriend everything she needed to know to make it. "Colt loves him. Daniel hates him."

"Yeah, you can cut the tension between them at the hospital with a huge butcher knife." Kaitlyn joked when she remembered Jay coming to the hospital the second week to stay with her as Kaitlyn and Bryan had to leave for another house show. Bryan and Jay clearly had some bad history with each other, but for April's sake, they just kept cool. Kaitlyn secretly wanted Jay to kick his ass, but for A.J., she told them to leave their issues at the door.

"This is a nice flat you got here." Sheamus spoke up. "I call the couch."

"Um…no. that's for Kaitlyn." Punk slapped Sheamus in the shoulder as he raised his hand in defense.

"I'm headed to my house in a while bro. It's not far so you can crash there." John pounded fist with Sheamus. "So what should we do now?" John asked, taking a place on the couch. "I'm ready to watch some ECW shit."

"Old School or the redo?" A.J. asked as she pointed to her DVD tower and John jumped up. He hooted humorously as he picked some DVDs, labeled 'December to Dismember' and 'November to Remember 99'.

"I may just love you more than ever April. This is a wrestling fans dream tower." A.J. snickered as he picked one. "December to Dismember anyone?" he popped it in the TV and Punk sat next to A.J. pulling her fleece blanket over her and putting her feet on his lap so she could lay out.

"I'll be right back fellas." Sheamus waved as he opened the back door to her floor balcony and walked out, headed to the small lake out back.

"I really should have told you this at the hospital." A.J. turned to see Punk glanced at their hands, his tattoo marked fingers completely covering hers. "I'm proud of you."

"Really?"

He nodded with a small grin. "Yeah. You've been responding to treatment well, you've started talking to people more and interacting again. It's not normal for someone who's been what you've been through."

"You sure it's not a bad thing? I still don't want to go back to work."

"And that's understandable. But, I'm happy you're much better now."

She snorted as she stared at the TV. "I'm far from _better_ Phil. I just don't want everyone to see me look weaker than I already look to them. And I don't want stress weighting me down. I'm tired of being small and weak to everyone. I'm taking this break to really get better."

"Killing them with strength?"

She tilted her head to the side and sighed. "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." He grinned as she intertwined their fingers. "I'm not going to suffer anymore. I've come way too far to let it stop me."

"That's my girl." He kissed her cheek as she finally smiled back, leaning her head into his chest and laying on him. John awed with a hand over his chest, while Punk gave him the finger and placed his chin over her head again.

Kaitlyn finished cleaning up and peaked at A.J., seeing her get into the show with Punk and John. So she decided to follow Sheamus outside. He glanced back from the bench, and watched her until she joined him. "Hey."

"Hey." He leaned over with his hands folded and she leaned back, played with her thumbs and looked out into the lake as they in silence for a while.

"Lad's really sorry. Says he wants to plead guilty." Sheamus finally spoke up, leaning back and sighing.

"Which means what?"

"Fifty years in NJ state prison or back to Scotland to do time in jail der. He can never return to the US again."

"What _else_ did he say?" Sheamus looked at her and saw the tears filling up her eyes, knowing that she not only wanted answers for A.J. but for herself.

He placed his huge hand over her thumbs and squeezed her hand gently while turning to face her. "He…he was usin' weight trainers." Kaitlyn's eyes linked with his with a stunned frown. "They came up positive in his drug test for the police along with a high alcohol blood level. Anadrol to be exact. So the rage and the amount of alcohol led to his behavior. Along with his ex-wife still goin' through with the divorce and bein' sent as a jobber for the last few weeks, he'd been pretty furious with management."

"That is a lot. Mr. McMahon must be so disappointed. He didn't feel or look so chosen anymore."

"He was so close though. All he had to do was be patient." Sheamus growled and Kaitlyn tickled the inside of his palms, bringing him back to earth a bit before he continued. "Ya wanna know what else hurts bout this?" Kaitlyn braced herself as her heart sped up and he shook his head. "Lad said he remembered takin' one last shot, but after that, he blacked out."

Kaitlyn just sunk her frown lower. "He _blacked_ _out_?"

"He just remembers wakin' up in his car with blood all over. The window was broken since he didn't look for his key. He cleaned up and went on, not thinking much of it. Then, we had the meeting when Vince told everyone what happened. He panicked, thinkin' to himself about how it may have been him. After thinkin' of that night and placing the pieces together, he turned himself in and told the police he thought he gotten into a brawl with a lad from the pub. The police called Arn and…well, we know the rest now."

"I can't believe this." Kaitlyn let that hanging tear fall while she chuckled to herself. "I just….I hate him. I know A.J. doesn't. It's very hard for her to hate anything, except porn and Barbie dolls." He snickered a little with her and reached over to wipe away the tear. "I feel really bad for him, but I can't say that seeing him in jail doesn't make me happy."

"I know." She leaned onto his shoulder as he slowly wrapped his arm around hers, causing them to kind of snuggle on the bench, looking at the moon bounce off the water. "I can't say I'm not happy either." She glanced up and he just looked forward, finally feeling better about stating his side in this case.

"Are you gonn be okay?" she asked.

"I..really don't know."

"Well, if it helps, I really don't want to leave my best friend alone either." He scoffed as she shook her head.

"I think we all have a lot of thinking to do." He didn't want to tell Kaitlyn about the letter. It's too early for the girls to hear from Drew. AJ was still hurting emotionally and Kaitlyn finally stopped crying herself to sleep. However, Kaitlyn is standing next to him even though she's scared and she confides in him about the situation. Punk was holding A.J. up through her recovery and she's starting to show signs of normality again. He didn't want to ruin that.

Time will tell him if she needed to see the letter, or if she as ready to face Drew.

* * *

I'm really sorry to all the all the Drew lovers, but I debated hard on this. I wrote four different sequences here and Drew just made the cut. Hopefull, it keeps you roped in and you read what happens next, because from this point on, shit gets real.

The italian translation, proved by my broski brougex3 on tumblr (she's not that accurate so she apologized in advice:

Bacio la ragazza! = kiss the girl!

idiota perdente = idiot loser

anello in bellezza= in ring beauty

I really want to thank all who reviewed, favored and alert for this story. I don't consider myself the best writer here and I know my story is alittle different. But it makes my day when I see the level response I get and it makes me want to continue.

This still a #teamCMPunk, #TeamAJGM, and #TeamAJPUNK story, and if you're not down with that...*insert x here*

*Kisses*


	7. Someone to Watch Over Me

Hel-lo-o!

I'm back with an update homies! Since you'll love this story oh-so-much, I'm giving you more. I'm gonna bring in the cuteness here and you'll start to see how Punk really feels about her. Also, I did write a note at the bottom, but I really want to thank icebabesfire for reaching out to me and lending her hand by being a beta for this story. I really feel better about it now that I have a second eye, and happier that I have tons of eyes on this story!

Nothing is mine. Be sure to review or I'll rock bottom your ass. Hehe. Not really, but please be kind to do so. This chapter's kinda short because I cut the next part to post tomorrow. Enjoy.

* * *

A.J's Apartment

Tampa. FL

At one am, the Extreme Elimination Chamber ended up watching John sleep, so Kaitlyn tapped his shoulder, having Sheamus signal A.J. sleeping with his hand. He slowly got up, nodded to Punk and hugged Kaitlyn before walking out with Sheamus. Punk slowly laid A.J. in her bed and let her dog out the cage to join her.

Punk has always been a three am sleeper. Even with a schedule that started at the crack of dawn, he still lives this boring vampire life. He turned the TV off when he heard Kaitlyn softly snoring on the couch and pulled out an issue of The Punisher to read. After a few minutes, he saw lights brighten up the hall way and A.J. walked out there in her black robe, looking upset and rattled.

"Hey."

"Hey." Her voice was filled with fear and she seemed really bothered. "I um…this is bad. I know I'm supposed to try and sleep on my own but.."

"Another nightmare huh?"

She sighed and Punk stood up, finding his phone on the table. "I'm sorry. I'm just…not use to this…not yet."

"You want me to join you?" he asked as A.J. rubbed her neck and tried not to look at him. He gently reached down for her hand. "C'mon." Punk sighed and walked her into her room, closing the door behind them and seeing her dog cuddled in the middle of the bed. "You first." He said watching her take off her robe and reveals a long sleeve t-shirt and a long pair of pajama pants. She looked at him and he winked with an assuring grin before she climbed back into bed. She watched Punk follow, facing her and tucking his hand with hers.

"You feel better now?"

"No, but this helps a little." He snorted lightly and felt his phone vibrate next to him. He pulled it from his pants and saw the 'Peapod' flash across the screen, but just turned over to place it on her nightstand, turning it off. "You could have answered that. You guys haven't seen much of each other since..you know. I'm the blame for that."

"You're not the blame for anything. I can make the time up to them, but you want me here and I'm here until you feel better."

"I ruined your summer. You should be watching Misfits cover bands at the Double Door with Amy, or painting Chicago red with Kofi and Colt, not babysitting me." He snickered while she stared at him softly, trying her best not to look gloomy anymore.

"What? You don't think I had a blast on the Comic-con tour?"

"You came back with vintage copies of Stan Lee autographed Avengers v. X-men comics." She tapped his nose before saying, "I should fire Amy and Zack for not keeping you entertained like I suggested."

"I put in a lot of work to get that missy. You didn't complain when I gave them too you."

"Well it _is_ X-men. Why would I complain?" She said with a small smile as he chuckled. "Thank you Phil. For everything. It means a lot to me."

"I want to be here. You didn't ruin anything. As long as you're okay, I'm happy." He said, pulling her hand up to kiss it. "You got a big day tomorrow so close those eyes."

She yawned and snuggled into the bed, bringing her hand to his chest as he moved to lie on his back. "I don't know what it would be like without you here."

Punk snickered and she finally fell asleep. Punk just stared at her, pretty much the way he loved to stare at her in the hospital while she slept. Her small pout and quiet snore was adorable. Her soft hand would softly grasp his and send this little electric feel up his arm. As bad as the circumstances for him being there were, he liked it. It felt great being with her. Two months of traveling to be with her became normality for him and he didn't feel bothered or get bored doing it. She'd started to open up to him every day and getting to know him, as he got to know her. He was so used to being with her that leaving just didn't feel right. If there's a way for him to keep her close to him, while safe, he needs to make it happen.

Just then, he reached for his phone and looked for a number of a person he knew A.J. would love to be around.

"You miss me already? I thought Colt was a better replacement." He sent and saw an immediate response.

"_We don't. And you suck. I just came from the festival, and Colt had Haley Williams standing right next to us. She's pissed you didn't answer the phone." _He winced at the text.

"Ames, I'll pay her back in cupcakes. One step ahead as always. lol"

"_I also wanted to see how everything went. Is she home now?"_

"Yeah…that's where I am now." He bit on his lip ring before finishing the text. "And, I can use your help. I _need_ your help actually."

* * *

_T-T-teacher stop that screamin'_

_Teacher don't you see?_

_Don't wanna be no uptown fool_

_Maybe I should go to hell_

_But I am doing well_

_Teacher needs to see me after school_

Punk awoke slowly the next morning not only to the smell of breakfast, but the sound of someone singing a Van Halen classic. He rubbed his eyes and glanced over, seeing the butt of A.J's dog instead of her face. He slowly hopped up and pulled on his jacket before leaving the room. He crept towards the kitchen and saw her best friend, wearing a pair of black boyshort underwear and a white shirt, placing food on the table and opening the back door.

Guessing that she figured he, John and Sheamus left the house, she must have had felt the need to go into girls alone mode.

_I think of all the education that I missed_

_But then my homework was never quite like this_

_I got it bad, got it Bad, got it Bad_

_I'm hot for teacher_

_I got it bad, soooooooo bad_

_I'm hot for teacher_

He laughed at Kaitlyn's head banger hair tossing and her use of the spatula as a guitar, and thought it would be rude to interrupt her. He'll let John or better yet, Sheamus see her this way. So he backed away and pulled out his phone. _'If you guys are up, Kaitlyn just wrapped up Breakfast. Come through the back.'_

After that, he walked past the bathroom and could hear a conversation going on, guessing A.J. didn't want to wake him up. He leaned against the frame and cracked the door slowly as A.J. placed the phone on speaker. "I'm fine. You don't have to do that Jamar. I'm not leaving the WWE for any other company."

"_What are you gonna do then? Sit home and wait for them to fire you? Being on the road with me sounds much better."_

"They gave me the leave so I can heal. And if they wanted to fire me they would have, trust me. I'm trying to avoid losing the job I love you know?"

Punk sighed and could hear her ex getting abrasive and loud with her while she sounded upset _"Look April. I'm sorry. I didn't call to fight with you."_

"Then don't. And I won't fight with you."

"_I…I don't want anything else to happen to you. And I feel like not being around for you had something to do with it…"_

"And who's fault is that? I didn't stop talking to you out of anger for signing with the WWE. You did."

"_I said I was sorry about that…I just…I miss you peanut."_

"Jay…" A.J. sighed and paused before saying. "I can't. I have my own career here and I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep it alive." Punk let out a small breathe of relief as she continued. "If you can't support me then we have nothing to talk about. At all."

"_April c'mon…"_

"I mean it."

Another pause passed before he talked_. "I'm sorry for what I said. I'll talk to the trainer today and then text it to you ight."_

"Fine Jay."

"_April. I am proud of you. You know that."_

"I'll talk to you soon." Punk walked away and felt this weird heavy lump in his chest. It was rude to listen in on A.J. but now he found himself more concern. Why would her ex try to get her to work with him? The thought of her leaving bothered him now more than ever.

He sat on the bed until she came back, dressed in sweat clothes with dry hair and no makeup on. "Morning sunshine."

"Morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good. It's been a while since I've rested in a posturepedic bed. It touches up the muscles a bit." She smirked while standing up and looking for her brush. "How about you?"

"I'm okay." She walked over to her dresser and Punk studied her. "Did Kay get up already?"

_She's my cherry pie__  
__Cool drink of water such a sweet surprise__  
__Taste so good make a grown man cry__  
__Sweet cherry pie, yeah_

"Does that answer your question?" he asked, pointing to the door as A.J. laughed.

_Well, swingin' on the front porch, swingin' on the lawn__  
__Swingin' where we want 'cause there ain't nobody home__  
__Swingin' to the left and swingin' to the right__  
__I think about baseball, swing all night, yeah__  
__Yeah, yeah_

"You're lucky. Sometimes, it's Beiber." He groaned and she started her doing her hair, brushing it in the mirror. She kept sighing and Punk sat on the edge of the bed, just watching her.

"You're not alright."

"What?" she turned to him and he gave her a doubtful frown and she returned it with attitude. "I'm just annoyed."

"With?"

She slammed her brush down and turned to Punk. "Jay is great one minute and just…a controlling douchebag the next. He thinks he still has a hold on me."

"What happened?" he stood up and she shook her head, running her hands through her hair. "What did he say to you?"

"He called to ask me if they fired me yesterday." She scoffed while he listened to her rant. "I just…he used to be the one in my corner and helping me. But…" she stopped and rolled her eyes. "I can't trust him. Not anymore."

"Did he cheat on you or something?" A.J. raised her eyebrows and he snapped back with a frown. "I was right one the money huh?"

"I didn't trust him after that and I don't trust him now." She blinked while looking away, turning back to her mirror. "And the fact that he didn't even call to see if I was okay, after telling me in the hospital …" she stopped and Punk frowned more.

"What did he say to you?"

"It's nothing. Daniel handled it…"

"April." He snapped and she turned back to him, seeing the anger in his eyes.

"He said that this attack was a wakeup call. To stop while I'm still hot and find another company."

Punk's face turned to stone and A.J. just backed up. She knows that face. That face was no good. That face appeared at WrestleMania during his match with Jericho. It appeared when he joined the Nexus. It showed anger, disgust and frustration. She _hated_ seeing that face. "He's wrong."

"I know." She said while looking scared, hoping he won't get on a plane back to Jersey to kick Jay's ass outside of a ring.

"Did he tell you how many times he was offered tryouts with the WWE…and still didn't have the chops to get a contract?" she shook no and he nodded. "Yeah, and where are you? With us, in the ring, for one of the best wrestling promotions in..the.._world_." She nodded for him, getting a grin in return. "You don't need him. You have a whole company helping you now. Mainly me and the golden boy mostly but we all have your back."

"I know." She kissed his cheek and he snorted lightly, watching her walk over to the bed, getting ready to make it up after her dog woke up and jumped down. "So, I know you have plans. Are you still going to the gym with John and Sheamus?"

"Yeah, I think it'll be cool to see the development guys, especially my buddy Dean. What about you? Do I have to handcuff you to Kaitlyn?"

"No. I'll be fine. It's only for an hour."

"Good. And after that, you guys can pack." She stopped and looked at a wide grinned Punk from across her bed, watching him help her.

"What?"

"Yeah, it's one session for this month right?" she frowned as Punk shrugged. "I just figured you'd want to come with us to California for Summerslam."

"Why, you think I'll cut my hands off when you leave?"

"No smarty shorts." She glared as he snickered. "I do know you don't wanna be alone here."

"I have food, my books, my dog. I was going to head down to the gym…"

"It's Summerslam week kid. The NBA All-Stars weekend for us. And it's L.A., home of the movie stars and beaches for miles on end. We rented a beach house for the week so we could hang out and have some privacy. Besides, why stay here if you can watch Kait win and me retain the WWE title from backstage?" she held on her pillow with a shocked stare. "Plus, besides Colt, I spoke to Amy. She'll be there."

"…you called her?" he nodded and she shook her head. "Oh you're an evil genius."

"If you don't come they'll be upset. It's lonely on the bus when Kofi and I are gone." She sighed and after he placed her pillows in the right place, they stared at one another. "Tell me you wanna be here, in boring Tampa for the rest of your summer, while everyone's away, and I'll respect it." She frowned. "When you want to come back, you can. And if you want to hide on the bus the whole time, you can. But…I would really like you in my corner this time when I kick the crap of John Cena."

"Oh…I do love watching you guys feud." He laughed as she undecidedly bit her bottom lip, looking him in eyes. "You want me there?" he nodded and his smile got bigger when she shrugged. "I guess it's better if Nacho get some road air."

"Good. Pack some nightclub stuff because John likes to celebrate in LA."

"What…." Before she could finish her question, a loud scream came from outside and scared her. Punk frowned and opened the door, only to have a flash of underwear clad Kaitlyn running into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

A.J. walked out to see Sheamus and John standing with her friend Derrick Bateman, standing in fresh workout clothes and grins on their faces. Sheamus just looked really surprised and John just laughed. "Guys, what happened?"

"We uh…came to ask about breakfast. I saw them while leaving my apartment, figured I'd come see my friendly neighborhood Spidergirl." Derrick spoke up while walking up to A.J., hugging her quickly. "I didn't know you guys came back."

"Yeah, it was straight here after the airport." Punk shook hands with him and Kaitlyn walked out, dressed in basketball shorts and wearing an anger frown. "What? No more hit 80s rock music? 'Paradise City' was going to be my request."

"Shut up." She grumbled. "I can't believe you set me up, jerk."

"That I am." He clapped his hands as she shook her head, "Where's the breakfast?"

"I've seen enough muffins for one day." John joked, getting a glare for Sheamus in return. "Kidding." He sternly as he picked up a piece of bacon. "Nice shirt Kay. I didn't know Sheamus had that out for sale."

She looked at the front of the shirt and A.J. did as well, laughing at the print. Kaitlyn wore that shirt of Sheamus' face imprinted in orange with the words warrior under it a few months ago for a photo shoot, but never wore it out. Kaitlyn covered her chest as Sheamus grinned at her.

"A.J. in CM Punk clothes, now Kaitlyn's taking sides?" Derrick said while stealing a banana. "The WWE Universe isn't the only place filled with crazy."

* * *

HUGE shout outs to Icebabesfire, ConchaaRex, TellTale777, sazbelle, kirt, Funnygirlash101, The Galick Gunner, DemonicXaliv, starsxhearts23, UnbelievinglyRandom, TuggyAngel08, grundge15, halerzxx , CRuck, VIXXY VAMPIRE, Ilovecheesecake, Risinggirl108, Redheaded Bandgeek, xLifeFullOfLaughterx. My faithful reviews who are helping this story grow with their witty comments and their pats on my back. I have a lot of follows and alerts so thank you for that. Besos guys *Mwah*

Blame Spotify for Kaitlyn's 80s rock hits karaoke. And per request of my muse, I have made my icon the photo of Kaitlyn wearing the shirt, which you will see tommarrow. My thoughts on AJ the GM? A-freaking-plus. The matches were great even there wasn't a lot of it. I hate that they tried to mindfuck this Lesnar v. HHH match for summerslam. Honestly, I just want Brock to get his ass kicked, no matter who does it. When Punk came out, I still squealed for him, and I saw that other people are still on his side with the Tout thing, you know, as his REAL fans. Watching AJ screw with Daniel was hilarious, and watching her set up Punk like that was classic GM power. I loved it. But besides that, RANDAL KEITH ORTON RETURNED! *squeals* I'm such a sucker for the viper, even when he was heel so I was ultra cheezy when he kicked the OMRB Health, who should totally get a slammy for having his ass handed to him by old legends. Anyone know a good Randy Orton FF that's not Slash? Please recommend.

Good day and later gators!


	8. Person of Interest

Here's the next chapter for ya!

Along with story, please read **Moments like These and The Games We Play by Unbelievably Random. But Also Crash and Burn by DemonicXaliv, End of Heartache by MyChaosTherapy and What Lies Beneath by xFullOfLaughterx**. My new favorite read is by **IHeartTeryse called Take Care of Me and Little Talks by Starsxhearts23**. I'm a pure sucker for Punklee stories, but stories involving just Punk are fine as well. That's how much my BF is annoyed with my obsession with Punk; but I tend to ignore his opinion of him. So if you like the cuteness of our favorite pairing, you'll these. I'm a huge reader so if you guys review and write your own fanfics, I'll read and review. It's like a read swap.** Icebabesfire kicks ass for reading this over for me, expect the next chaps to read homie, confirm if you heard me! lol**

**Nothing's mine, If it was, the Punk-Lee era would be the new the McMahon-Helmsley Era, since creative isn't quick enough.**

* * *

"So, April, how does it feel to be out of the hospital?"

"Different." Dr. Grey nodded at the one word answer and A.J. just rolled her eyes, knowing that it was some stupid sign of distance or resistance or whatever therapists call it so she could twist it around to keep her thinking and waste more of her time.

"And you're friends where nice enough to come back with you."

"I guess so."

"Okay, well, let's talk about the people that found you that night."

A.J. nodded and pulled out the paper she had in her pocket. Last session she had over the phone, the doctor wanted her to write three word minimums about the people involved in her situation. "Okay."

"Let's start with the guy who you worked with first, the one who played your boyfriend…"

"Bryan." She snapped as Grey nodded. "Or..Daniel Bryan. He's liberal, to some extent cocky sometimes. But he's also attentive. Humble. I guess he's like that from having to work so hard and get to where he is. He's too himself most of the time."

"And you relate to that?"

"Somewhat. We both kinda like our privacy, so he gets that, after the attack, it was taken from me."

"So, how is your relationship with him?"

"It's a friendship. And a work based one. He's with someone who makes him much happier. And I'm happy for them." Grey smiled with her and continued down the list.

"What about John Cena?"

"John is a mentor. He's really chivalrous, and more heart than muscle."

"Is he your friend?"

"More of a mentor. He's been giving me on and off advice since I started in development and now, he's been pushing for me to get back. But that's the way he is. When he sees potential in someone, he pushes them. He was like us at one point before someone gave him a shot, so I guess he's giving someone like me the same thing."

"Do you think CM Punk sees you in that light?"

A.J. frowned at the question. She had words for him but she wasn't expecting a question like that. "Um…I don't know. Punk is really friendly and nice to everyone until you piss him off or you do something he really doesn't like. Then, he'll ignore you."

"Anything else?"

"He's really noble, an honest jerk but you can't be mad at him for it. It's just the way he is. And, he's really one of the coolest guys I've ever met, inside and outside ring. He's also reached out and thrown in his advice when I started. He's in denial every time I say he and John are partners like Batman and Superman to the fans. He's someone who's told how amazing they are, but will keep trying to do ten times better than amazing the next time." She felt herself getting excited while talking about him and while she did, the doctor smiled at her.

"April, you said that besides your friend Celeste, Phil has been with you most of the time."

"Yeah, but, I'm sure it's because he just wants to help."

"But your home now. Not in the hospital. It's been two months since your incident and you're progressing greatly."

"So?"

"Why do you think he's sticking around?"

"…I…I really don't know." She stood up and paced a little, running her hands through her hair and starting to think about that. "All I know is that when he hugs me or he tells me I'll be okay, I believe it. Everyone else just makes me feel nervous but he's like this… huge breath of air that I finally got to exhale. And he could be doing anything he wants with his summer but he's been to New Jersey so many times, I think he has an accent."

"So…what now?"

She sat back down and looked at the doctor. "He asked me to go on the road with him. Until I feel better at least."

"That would mean going back…"

"I know. But being home alone just doesn't feel right without him around."

"Because you trust him."

A.J. paused and thought about it before giving the doctor a nod. "I don't really trust anyone easily. I trust Kaitlyn because she's never judged me for who I am and John's always telling me to stay the way I am because more girls will look up to me. Daniel is just like me so it's like having a brother on the road. Eve's been trying to show me how I can be a stronger woman so people won't walk all over me anymore. That's the type of woman she is, so learning from her will go a long way." She sat back down and frowned. "I guess Punk just wants me to be happy. To be the woman I use to be or better."

The doctor leaned over as A.J. looked at her. "April, it is normal for victims of rape to not only trust people that show them affection and devoted care, but for them to fall in love with that person." A.J. shook her head and the doctor held up a hand. "You may not feel like loving anyone right now. And that's fine. But your trust in Mr. Brooks is another great sign of you progress. And if you trust him, then I agree with him. You should go with him."

"Really?"

"What happened to you doesn't have to be a crippler, but a motivation. Once you see your work environment and how everyone you work with has been affected by this, it might help your decision to stay easier."

"And what if it doesn't?"

The doctor sighed while nodding, "That next step is for you to find and for you to act on."

* * *

_**Hard Nocks South**_

_**Tampa, FL**_

"Nice set up man." Punk looked at the open space of John's gym, Hard Nocks south, noticing all the weightlifting, cardio, and muscle toning equipment, along with every flag that pays homage to the troops, photos of him posing with celebrity body builders and some of the other kids in development. "No wonder all the new kids look jacked."

"Yeap. This is the home away from the other home." He passed them all the chalk so they could get started. "You ready Irish Springs?"

"Bring it on Boy Scout." Punk picked up two fifty pound dumbbells as John helped Sheamus barbell bench with support.

"So, I talked to A.J. about coming to L.A." Punk joked as he started curling with them as John frowned.

"Really? And?"

"She's coming."

After hitting twenty, John helps Sheamus off and the warrior sat up with a smile. "Bet ya happy bout that."

"In a way, I am."

"I um, we left you on the couch fella. And Kaitlyn said she thought ya left." Punk grinned and Sheamus smiled back. "How'd ya sleep?"

"Just fine. Hearing Kaitlyn talk about you in her sleep started to annoy me so I decided to join April."

"Don't chop me down cause ya got caught."

"Caught doing what? I've been sleep in the same room with her for two months. She wasn't ready to sleep alone. I went to sleep next to her." The guys looked at each other as Punk rolled his eyes. "Simple. It's really not a big deal."

"I'm glad Amy went with it." John spoke next.

"She has no choice. I have the final say in who I hang out with."

"I'm just confused." John leaned over while looking at Punk. "I thought you and Amy were trying things out again."

"Awww, John John, don't tell me you've been stalking Tumb1r fan girls all day. Was it out of concern for little ole' me?"

John rolled his eyes with smile as Sheamus just chuckled while prepping back into position as John supported him again. "I'm just studying things. She's been around since your won the title, coming to watch Raw and WrestleMania, plus, Beth kinda put you guys on blast."

"That's because Beth just hates it when I have things in common with people that she doesn't understand. Being on Amy's show really pissed her off."

"Why?"

"Amy is just like me, only a little more closed up. Beth hates that. She told me that going on her show would be it for us. I went and…that was it."

"She is kind of a bitch."

"She's a douchebag." Punk groaned, putting down the weights and resting.

"We know. You voiced that over the radio remember?" Again, John helped Sheamus by supporting him out. Then he took his place on the bench and Sheamus backed him up. "She was pissed about A.J. too."

"I know. Fuck her. She has no say either. And she doesn't like A.J., never has."

"Why do ya think she cares about what ya doing?" Sheamus asked as John began to bench.

"She doesn't. She just wants to mindfuck the people I'm with."

"You better hope she doesn't do that with AJ."

"She won't." Punk snapped while hitting the ground to plank. "I'll make sure of it. And with Adam doing the GM storyline and traveling with us, she'll be distracted. Off topic please, before I vomit breakfast." Punk looked up at Sheamus while smiling. "I just want her around."

"A.J.?" Sheamus chuckled out. "Why? She's home and okay now."

"She's far from okay. She doesn't want to be alone."

"How ya know that?"

"Told me herself. Plus, I have a plan."

John stopped and sat up, breathing and pointing at him. "You? A plan?"

"Yes John. I am the two time Mr. Money in the Bank winner. This is your first briefcase, don't get cocky." John laughed and Punk continued. "I know what will get A.J. to stay."

"Dude, I thought marriage wasn't for you."

"Fuck you Johnny Appleseed." Punk got up after five minutes and sat on his ass. "It's not like that. I asked someone to help me out."

"Who? Amy?"

Punk leaned his head with a nod. "I was going to say Amy _as well as us_ but you get half a point for guessing one."

"I hope it works." John started lifting again and Sheamus nodded with him.

"Well, if all else fails, you can make out with her. She'll get a pop from the fans. Maybe even a feud with Eve and wal-la, new Lita versus Trish for the new era." Punk joked while walking over to some of the development guys with open arms, leaving John and Sheamus laughing.

* * *

_**Super Suds' Laundry Mat,**_

_**Tampa, FL**_

"Okay, so, Harley Quinn and Batman? What happening there?" Derrick and Kaitlyn stood across from one another at different folding tables while talking. They had to wait an hour for A.J. to leave the doctor, so they did her laundry to kill time and chat until it was time to get her. Again, her on-screen lover was grilling her about her best friend.

"What are you talking about?" she frowned, digging through the huge bundle for socks that matched. "They're friends. I told you that."

"Yes, and as I've expressed to you that, in the words of our buddy Percy Watson, _I call bullshit_." She rolled her eye and he chuckled. "He walked out of her bed room. Not the bathroom, not the attic, but her bedroom. No one is allowed in there, not even to sober up after we play Kings cup."

"I know that." She snapped. "He slept by her side whenever he came to the hospital. She can't sleep alone…god, it's not that serious."

"Oh yeah, it's _very_ serious. You're her best friend, and you're not even allowed in there. But Punk isn't a girl, and he's sleeping in her bed."

While a white t-shirt hit him in the face, she joked, "I think your perm is seeping into your brain and making you delusional."

"I just don't want her to get hurt again…"

"Shut up." She held up her hand and gave her best guy friend a warning glare. "What's the rule?"

He sighed and tilted his head. "Don't speak of the past."

"Good." She continued to fold while talking. "You barely know him, and you barely know what she's been through. She needs him around and if no one likes it, they can suck it DX style. He's here to stay as long as she sticks around." They finally finished and placed all the clothes in bags, then headed to Derrick's car.

He loaded all the bags in the car and exhaled before talking again. "I just hope she doesn't get hurt by someone else. The whole thing with Trent…"

"That's not happening." She snapped. "Not while I'm around. She's not looking for a relationship. Just comfort."

"Yeah, and so are you with Sheamus, right?" Kaitlyn bit her lip as she rolled her eyes scoffing, then walked away to get in the car. He followed with a confused frown and raised eyebrows. As they drove to pick A.J. up, he continued to ask, "When are you gonna tell him you're batshit about him?"

"Derrick, I'm not in the mood."

"We're not trying to make a baby. I asked you a question." They got to the building and he parked, looking over at his best friend with a grin. "Tell me you don't like him and I'll leave you alone." As she shook her head, A.J. walked out and waved over, causing Kaitlyn to give him the 'let this go' look. "No, I will not accept that look until you tell me."

"Tell you what?" A.J. asked while jumping in the backseat as Kaitlyn rolled her eyes.

"Nothing." She shouted. "How did it go?"

"Good. I don't have to go back for a month. And she agreed."

"So you're coming to L.A?" she nodded and Derrick pumped his fist down as she connected hers with Kaitlyn's. "I hope you're ready to watch Kaitlyn to become the new Divas champ." Kaitlyn laughed while rolling her eyes.

"I'm so happy your coming." A.J. smiled out the window. "I know were gonna have fun."

A.J. still couldn't shake what the doctor said about her feelings for Punk. It wasn't the right time to start feeling something for him. She still needed to take care of all her issues. And she needed to do it slowly. But thinking about it this weekend was out of the question. Being in L.A. was going to be a drama-free, refreshing trip. "So do I. I think it'll be good for me."

* * *

_**Same Day**_

_**Mission Beach,**_

_**San Diego, CA**_

"_Thank you for all you great words of encouragement and support. They all mean the world to A.J and I'll let her know…..once we find her of course. Lol hashtag: WTF is AJ?" _Brie read Kaitlyn's tweet as she sat on a beach in San Diego with Daniel and Nikki next to her.

"Two months of 'where's AJ' on Zack's show got everyone rallied up just so you break the news saying you had her away? Really? That was the creative teams' best idea? Idiots." Nikki said as Daniel just laughed, tossing the football up in the air as Nikki sat up from tanning. "So what now?"

"Well, she's still taking the break. She's headed back to Tampa today and they're going to spend the first night with her. After that, I don't know what she'll do."

"She's still in a cast and she had to talk mental and physical therapy. At least she's out of that hospital. Those places are creepy." Brie said standing up. "So, how did the first session go?"

Daniel sighed while looking out at the beach. Since they all were involved in what happened to A.J., the company forced them to attend a therapy session. One hour, every week, and they had to say what they felt about the situation. "It was group this time. Kaitlyn hardly spoke, John just sat silent, Eve kept crying and Punk just answered everything with a smart sharp answer. We're here to help her and we know what to do to make sure she's safe."

Nikki shrugged. "Well, all it takes is for one of you to open up, the rest might follow. What about Drew? Anything on him?"

"Not really. Hunter's not talking to us about it and April hasn't heard much from David on it. I guess they think it's a bit early to talk about it."

"I still can't believe it was him. I know he was having a hard time with the divorce and his place in the company but I never pictured he'd do something like that."

"No one did. Not even him. Maybe that's why he turned himself in."

"You think she'll really quit?" Daniel shrugged as Brie sighed. "I feel so bad about all this. First us, then Barbara taking a break, Karlee leaving and Kharma's release. We picked the worst time."

"Hey, you wanted to come home because you needed to rest. A.J. isn't leaving; she's just taking a short break. She'll be fine and so will you. Okay?" Brie nodded then placed a kiss on his cheek, thanking him for being the good boyfriend he has been and the great person he's always been.

Maybe that's what A.J. needs in her life right now. Not Bryan Danielson, of course. But she needs someone who is supportive, funny and kind to people. Basically someone who can help restore her trust in people. From the way things looked after her attack, Punk was her number one hero and her back up leader on her road to recovery. He'd been there for A.J. since day one and it seemed as if he was sticking around for much longer after.

She wondered though, if he was just helping her get over it, what will happen when she finally does?

* * *

**Brie's right? What happens when she does, or better yet, who will be forcing her to move on with Punk? Who will be forcing him to move on _without_ him? Will Kaitlyn ever tell Sheamus how she feels? All will be answered as the troops head to California for Summerslam. I have tons of tricks up my sleeve with the drama but the romancing will start soon, I promise. **

**Just a little update, I am going to be on bed comfort duty for the rest of the summer. Earlier this year, my boyfriend was is a serious car crash. He walked away alive with a sprained ankle, cracked ribs and his jaw was wired shut, Kanye West style. So he's miserable, but he's happy to be alive, at least that's what he writes to be every day. He's finally going to have the screws and wired lining in his mouth removed today and have his jaw operated on completely, so I'm a little scared for him. I really just want him to be okay. I've been an awesome girlfriend so far, according to him mom I am but I think it's because I bake all the time (today she asked for my red velvet bites). I'll be away, missing most of your updates and reviews, but I have sent my beta two chapters, and I won't be updating until next Friday. **

**Thanks for the awesome reviews and support again, they make me stronger. *I'm still TeamPunk, TeamAJ, TeamPunkLee, TeamCreativeCanSuckIt, TeamDivasonRAW and TeamRandy. I play a lot of sport here. Lol* Besos! *Mwah* **


	9. AJPA: AJ Protection Agency

**Don't Give Up, Don't Look Down, Cause You're Time Will Come-**

***ripping the headphones out and turning to the computer* oh, sorry, kinda in the mode. Lol**

**Anyway, HEY! And welcome to Summerslam weekend on NWJS! This message is short cause I'm off to work but Please Enjoy it! I'll talk about Raw at the end as always. I own Nothing, and If I did, Kaitlyn would have hopped in the car with Sheamus and Layla would be joining Punk on the Respect train since she's the absent Divas champ right now. Lol**

* * *

Thursday, August 16th, 8:32 am

The Staples Center Parking lot

Los Angeles, California

"Excuse me?" A short man with a badge and an iPad in his hand turned around to the feminine voice with a smile on his face. "I can direct you to the press camp if you're lost." She pointed to the barricades where all the other reports were setting up for the morning ahead. She looked at both the tour buses next to her with a fixed frown as he shook his head.

"No need. I'm waiting to interview someone on this bus."

The woman frowned. "Really? Are they expecting you?"

"No, I just have a few questions for them." He wised up and smiled even brighter when he realized who he was talking to. "But in the meantime, I would love to talk to you Mrs. Orton."

Even though she was used to the creepy, slimy, scumbags that surround her and her family in their time of hurt and struggle, Samantha Orton felt bad for them. This man's next check depended on whatever great sleaze story he could come up with to call work. And she was on target, her husband was always on target, and she hated when the people working for the WWE where under the same attack.

"Well, my husband isn't on steroids and yes, he loves us and is excited to be back. Also, I'm pretty sure CM Punk wouldn't want you near his bus so early in the morning."

"I don't think you get it. I don't want to talk to Punk." Sam rolled her eyes as he scoffed, letting his cocky grin get bigger. "You all know who I really want to talk to."

"Oh, I do. But I don't know if she's really here. And if she is, talking to you probably isn't on her to-do list. Sorry you wasted your time." She brushed passed the guy only to have his hand reach for her.

Before she could defend herself, the man who's always defended her showed up, placing a heavy hand on the reporter's shoulder with a huge pop. "Sir, I believe my wife let you know that what you're looking for isn't here."

Randy walked around to block his wife and glared at him hard. Then Mark Henry and Kane appeared, hovering over him and breathing heavily, close to growling. "I was just thanking your wife for her time." He answered in a small terrified voice.

Sam leaned over her husband's muscular arms while holding them and waved with a satisfied grin of her own. "You're welcome."

"Press is there. So go." Mark spoke up and shoved the man towards the area, watching him fall and shuffle over to the barricade in fear.

Randy shook his head as he rubbed his wife's arm, watching her breathe to cool down. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Thank you guys."

"No problem. I just can't stand that. She just left the hospital. This girl doesn't need it and I'm not letting it happen." Kane said with his eyes to Randy.

"I think we all agree with that." Randy said as Sam opened his bus door, watching their surroundings. Randy walked in with Sam's hand in his as Mark and Kane stood outside to look out. When they got inside, Alanna was on A.J.'s lap, clapping and laughing to a board game with Kaitlyn. "Hey there. Did I miss all the action?"

"Daddy!" Alanna jumped up and went right up to Randy, having him pick her up as she kissed his cheek. "Me and AJ won!"

"You did? That's awesome." He chuckled with Sam as A.J. gave Alanna two thumbs up that she returned. Randy nodded as the girls cleaned up the table and AJ looked up. "Thanks for watching her last minute. The morning show was longer than we thought."

"It's okay. She cheered for you, ate all her breakfast, and beat me in a serious game of Candyland here." Kaitlyn responded as they chuckled.

"Hey, Aurora and her sisters want to see you, wanna go see them?" Alanna nodded as Randy put her down so she could walk out with her parents, AJ and Kaitlyn. A.J was greeted with hugs from Kane and Mark. "Hey. The prep stations are ready if you need make-up and hair. The press conference starts at 11." Randy addressed while looking at Kaitlyn.

"I guess I should go now." She said as A.J. nodded at them, knocking on the door of CM Punk's bus and watching it open. "You alright?"

"Yeah, Amy will be here soon so I'll just wait." Kaitlyn bumped fist with her and they laughed when A.J. held hers out to Alanna, who slowly did it with a small boom. "Bye Alanna."

"Bye bye A.J. Feel better." she waved as A.J. mouthed thank you to the other guys for helping her.

"No problem. Just be careful." Kane said, patting her back with a small nod. She walked into the bus and nodded to the driver as she walked in. Punk would be back from his media day soon and his road wife, Kofi Kingston, would be returning with Amy. After AJ packed up her stuff for the week, the group took a red eye and arrived in California for Summerslam week at 12 am in the morning. She was really nervous about being around. Hunter stamped an okay on her visit and made sure that no one bothered her about her situation, so she just had to relax and enjoy the time. However, after hearing Randy outside, it may have failed.

After an hour of watching a horror movie on the couch with the dog curled in her lap, a knock on the door alarmed her. But when the driver gave her a thumb up, she sighed in relief. She threw on her overgrown striped sweater and heard the door open, dimly smiling at the three people walking in.

"You're still alive." Punk joked at he jumped inside, having Amy follow him with bags and her dog in hand, and Kofi come in with groceries from Whole Foods. "She must be more Samantha than Randall."

A.J. gasped with a grin. "You're so mean. She's a sweet little girl and has way better luck at Connect four than you."

He glanced over with an amused grin, "I know her dad. I'll believe it in 10 years, if she's still the same."

"Ignore the crankiness, the reporter got to him about John, the Rock and Raw 1000." Amy put her stuff down and slowly hugged A.J., holding on for a while as she squeezed. "I'm happy to see a friendly face."

"Burn. Major burn." Punk said while walking into his room to get a different shirt.

"How have you been?"

"I'm okay. I was getting into a good British zombie-comedy flick."

"28 Days Later?" Kofi asked while putting the stuff away. Punk walked out with two suit bags and a couple of ties.

"Better. Doghouse. A movie that every girl should watch after a break-up to feel better." Amy grinned in approval as Punk held up a blue and red shirt. "I told you blue would look better on TV."

"I'm a third opinion kind of guy right now." He gestured them to Lita, who twitched her pout to the side and glanced at the shirts.

"Blue is better with the jeans." She approved, having A.J. to stick her tongue out to the champ.

"Traitor." He turned to Kofi, who drank his Gatorade and gave him an unimpressed glare.

"You know your sister will kill you if she sees you without that shirt on today." He took the red shirt and Punk rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, I hate blue."

"No you don't. You hate that Colt and your sister's shirt is selling." Amy corrected and A.J. agreed with a nod.

"I hate traitors, but then again, I can't blame you. A.J. makes a tank of horse shit look like a playpen filled with Skittles once she talks about it." Kofi snickered with Amy and A.J. shrugged innocently.

"I can't help it that I'm small, harmless, far friendlier and prettier than you Phil." She teased.

He chuckled, "Wow. Our daily snarky remarks are rubbing off on you huh?" He looked surprised a little by her response, but he was happy she was trying to join in on the jokes and not acting blue.

"Just defending my logic, you know how it is." As A.J. stood up and bent over to get into her bag, she could feel everyone's eyes staring at her. As weird as it was, she knew what she was looking at. "I think we should get rid of it too."

"What?" Punk snapped and she looked back at everyone with a light frown, making Punk and Kofi both glance back with an apologetic face. "Sorry."

"Does it look that bad?"

Amy shook her head with a smile as A.J. turned, pulling down her tank top and closing her sweater to cover the wrapping on her ribs. "Not really." Amy answered. "Does it hurt anymore?"

A.J. shook her head with a small smile. "No. I don't hiccup and cough as much. The nurse wrapped this bandage really tight yesterday."

"If you want to take them off, I can help." A.J. bit her lip and nodded.

Kofi and Amy glanced at one another, getting the hint that A.J. didn't want anyone to see her undressed just yet. "Amy, I owe you a Kofi chocolate banana energy smoothie." Kofi looked at Punk with a half-smile.

"Yeah, it's about to get really messing and noisy in here. We should use the bedroom."

"Hold on." Amy pulled a lotion bottle from her bag and waved it with a smile. "I rub this on after every match, all my work outs, and Torrie use to rub this on her ass after ever Paddle match. This gets rid if the pain and clears it up as if it never happened." Amy handed it over as A.J. smiled.

"Thanks." She stood up and followed Punk to the back of the tour bus. Once she sat on the bed's edge, she gave him a weak grin before slowly pulled off her sweater and tank.

"This really is tight." He winced at the bandage and placed his hands on it. She turned her face to him as he took the scissors, looking for a spot to cut away from.

"Now you can see why I didn't sleep on the plane." She threw her hair into a ponytail as Punk cut the bandage off, pulling off gently as she started to breath slowly. "Is it still black?"

He placed his fingers softly on her stomach side and took the lotion from her. "A little. That lump isn't there either, but it's still a little bruised."

"Well, so much for soaking up the sun in an itsy-bisty-teenie-weenie-yellow-polka dot outfit." She exhaled and he laughed softly. "Whoa."

"That was good. You're breathing sounds good."

"Yeah." They snickered while Punk began to rub the lotion on the spot. She watched him and started to feel this relaxed tingle from his rough hands caressing her upper body. He looked into her eyes as she closed hers, feeling him massage her a little.

"If you care so much about this, then why are you a wrestler?"

"I've been told look really hot in colorful spandex." She joked and he chuckled with her, still working the lotion her body.

"I can't disagree with that." She blushed as he pulled her by the waist, bringing her closer to him. "You're a good wrestler, no matter what you wear or how you look." She hitched her breath and he kept his eyes locked with hers for a while. A small grin appeared as he twirled his finger. "Turn."

"Oh. Right, my back." She turned away from him and while he massaged her back, she bit her lips to hide the shame she was feeling. She should really feel uncomfortable with this. Yet, she's enjoying every second of the moment.

When everyone tried to hug her earlier, she didn't want them touching her but she played it off well without being rude about it. Punk had his hands all over her body and she was just taking it in without twitching or slapping his hand away. She trusted him the most, but feeling this way about him couldn't be a good thing right now.

She noticed his hands where still on her back and weren't moving. "You alright?" she nodded without looking back, not wanting him to see the blush red cheeks she developed. "Turn around." She tried to stop smiling and turned to him, feeling his hand on her lap. "No one cares about this. To a wrestler, it's like another paper cut. And just like this bruise, it hurts, but you'll heal. You'll be as good as new." She nodded. "You're beautiful. You're spunky. You're strong. Most importantly, you're _you_. And nothing, _no one_, should take that away from you. They'll have to get through me if they challenge you Apple Jacks."

A.J. snickered with him at his recent nickname for her. "Guess you aren't that devious Charles Montgomery. You really are amazing." She threw her arms around his neck and he hugged her back with a grin of his own. Punk mentally patted himself on the shoulder for kicking ass at this supporting people thing, but something in his gut told him he was feeling something else for this girl. Right now however, acting on it was out of the question. Amy was right. She needed a friend, everything else can wait.

"Knock, Knock." They broke apart and Amy peeked her head in, smoothie in hand and a smile for both of them. "Kofi's waiting for you champ."

"Cool." Punk looked towards A.J and she sighed. "You sure you wanna face them?"

A.J. rubbed her hands on her jeans as she nodded. "I can't hide in here all day. Plus, I can handle myself around them. I'll be fine." Punk stood up, kissed her forehead and Amy's cheek before walking off the bus with Kofi behind him, leaving Amy and A.J. alone.

As A.J. looked for another shirt to wear, the girls talked for a while about everything and anything random, but had fun doing it. Amy looking outside the bus to the L.A. live area and A.J walked out in a Panic! At the Disco t-shirt. A.J. walked up behind her to look out, and she saw how many cameras and reporters were pointed at the bus. Amy then noticed how anxious A.J. got. Her hands sat in the window while she sighed heavily.

Amy knew what it was like to be watched, to be harassed and to be ridiculed by the public. When her affair with Adam Copeland came to light, it almost ruined her life. When it was all put out there that she broke Matt's heart, people refused to hear her side of the story and bashed her instead. She walked the streets to stares and jeers, people calling her every awful name in the book and bullying her to no limit. She decided to run away from it all and retire early just so she could live her life and start over, but mostly so she could heal and gain her sanity back.

What was happening to young A.J. was entirely different. Someone violated her, mentally and physically. Amy couldn't imagine having to deal with that. However, she was surrounded by friends like Kaitlyn that love her and strong supporters like Punk, John, Sheamus, even Hunter in her circle. Amy was happy about that. When everyone turned their backs on Amy, it took a while for her to gain the respect again. With A.J., people would pity her for now, but once she shows how tough she is, they won't second guess her sanity and stability anymore.

"You hungry?" Amy asked, causing A.J. to turn away and chuckle nervously. "We don't really have to watch the press event. We can do something else."

"…I don't want you to miss it."

"I've been a part of that for seven years. Skipping one is nothing to me." Amy pulled out her phone and snapped her fingers. "I need do some sight-seeing and walk the Runyun Canyon trail. That is five hours without annoying people around, and you'll be back in time to hang out with everyone back at the house."

A.J. smiled with her and nodded. "I am craving breakfast."

"I'm thinking Giddle Café on sunset. Sound good?" A.J. drew up two thumbs and Amy patted her shoulders energetically. "You're safe with your idol, promise. It's gonna be like hanging with Punk after he got his tits done." A.J. laughed as Amy glanced out the window again.

"How am I gonna pass all that?" Amy gave her an amused grin with her arms around her shoulder.

"You let me handle that."

* * *

"Rosa!" Alicia Fox rapidly approached Rosa Mendez with a huge angry face and her bright red hair in a ponytail. They were all outside near the press and the carpet hadn't started yet, but Primo and Epico took places with their manager to arrive with all the tag teams. "Rosa!" once she approached her, Alicia turned her around with both hands and shoved her, causing her to fall into Primo's arms with a gasp.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? ¿has perdido tu mente?" _*Have you lost your mind?*_The leggy divas got face to face, which took most of the reporters and fans attention, making them move from the bus area to the carpet area.

"I'm fine. You, on the other hand, will be dancing with a cast on those boney legs of yours!" Alicia yelled, having Tamina follow and hold her back. The photographers started paying more attention as Kofi and R-Turth got between them.

"What is going on?" Kofi asked while pulling Alicia back.

"Vicki told Kelly, who told Layla, who then told Gina the makeup girl, who told Tamina who told me!" Kofi and the other guys didn't understand how girls keep track of who talks to whom about gossip. It's very confusing female stuff. "Vicki said that you told her 'If the WWE didn't need a cheap carbon copy of Rihanna, I'd be some rapper's bottom bitch.' How dare you?" The girls gasped at that and Alicia almost slapped her but Kofi stopped the hand from moving. "At least I didn't bend over to keep a job, where I do nothing!"

Rosa tried to escape from Primo and Epico arms while yelling. "I didn't say that about you chica. But now I know who told everyone I got on my knees to stay. So if the heels fit, you're looking extra tall these days_, perra_." Alicia growled as she snatched her hair and it turned into a huge hair pulling brawl between the leggy divas. Kofi found himself in the middle while Truth helped Tamina pull Alicia away and Rosa being held by her tag team clients as they yelled in Spanish.

As that went on, Eve slipped over to the bus, checking her surroundings while knocking on the door. It opened and Amy walked out with A.J. trailing behind, both them dressed in a black hoodies and Under Armor leg gear with their dogs in bags. "You're clear. Have fun today okay?"

"Thank you Eve." A.J. said while hugging her, then walking quickly to Kofi's Range Rover. Amy hugged her also and laughed, looking over at security pulling the girls apart and Hunter yelling over it.

"What did you do?" Amy asked Eve, getting a charmed grin in response.

"I just had Vicki stir a huge overflown pot of Diva's gossip. I told you, anything for A.J."

"Will they be alright?"

"Oh yeah, nothing that a few drinks at Hooters won't fix between them." Eve patted her shoulder. "Just take care of our girl today. She needs it." They laughed and Amy ran over to the car, climbing in with A.J. and starting the engine with giggles leaving their lips. They manage to get away without any one spotting them.

* * *

In the backstage area, Sheamus and Punk looked on with huge chuckles leaving their lips. John and Daniel made twisted painful faces when Rosa threw her heel at Kofi, hitting him in the head.

"We have the most aggressive women working in our company." John snorted out while turning to the guys.

"Thank god for that. Watching us wrestle all as opposed to them scuffling around in fewer clothing is fine with me." Punk said while smiling. He felt his phone vibrate and looked at the text with a contorted smile. "Wow."

"What?" Sheamus asked as they all waited for Punk to stop laughing.

_'Tell Rosa and Alicia not to believe what they hear all the time. *winky wink*. We needed a distraction badly. We'll head back to the beach house later. Call me when you're done. Don't leave the guys behind.'_

Daniel shook his head and laughed with John. "Okay, Amy may be a bigger evil genius than you."

"Fuck you Dragon, I am the devil himself." Punk shoved him lightly while they noticed Kofi coming back, his shirt ruffled up and his hair out of place. "Have fun in the girl gone wild mosh pit?"

"Shut up man. They're crazy, all of them." He laughed at them and Punk showed him the text, getting an eye roll and a glare. "You're kidding right?"

"Sorry man. She didn't know you'd been in the middle."

"Tell Amy I want a 12 pack of Sprinkles cupcakes." Kofi said with a frown, still rubbing the bruise on his head. "But at least A.J. is going out."

"Yeah, I'm just happy she came here. I know she's in good hands."

"You might not be in a few seconds…" Daniel nodded over to the other side of the room and Punk glanced over, then rolled his eyes and groaned in discomfort. The guys decided to leave Punk to handle his situation, not wanting to get involve with her mainly. "See you outside."

When the crowd cleared, Beth Phoenix walked over to Punk with a stone cold glare, causing Punk to keep his head up and his eyes on her surroundings. It was no secret that Punk and Beth weren't on the same page, in the same book, or even placed in the same section of a Barnes & Noble store. They really didn't end things well. She wanted to wear the pants in the relationship and Punk didn't like that crap. He wanted a woman that acted like one, and didn't dominate him. However, just because she was no longer with him, didn't mean he was Scott free from hearing all her stupid opinions on his lifestyle.

Today, he had a feeling what she was going to rant about.

"Phil." Beth said with her eyes looking outside.

"Can I help you with something?" Phil asked, hoping she would just yell at him and get it over with. Maybe Amy texted Adam again, or his ass looked bad in his jeans. He didn't know and when it came from her, he really didn't care.

"I just want to talk to you."

His eyebrows rose quickly while he smirked. "Talk? To me? Why would you want to do that?" she rolled her eyes and he continued. "Last time I checked, you wanted me to shut up and listen. So, if that's what your about to do, please save it. I really don't want to hear anything from you."

"If you would shut up for once, in your entire life, and respect what I have to say before commenting, maybe I will." Beth snapped, and then sighed, waving her hand and calming down. "I just wanted to ask how A.J. was doing."

"She's alive. She's still beautiful, still a confident young woman, still employed, still wants to be the Divas champion and don't worry, getting her ass kicked by you is still the scariest thing in the world to her." He smirked as Beth glared disapprovingly.

"I'm just wondering what makes you think it's good for her to be around you and Amy, especially in her condition. You've been with her every day off you get. And now she's here?" Punk gave Beth a plain shrug, causing Beth to frown. "It's like you're growing attached to her, not the other way around."

Punk chuckled loud enough for the guys and girls to look over. While he wiped some of the sweat from his forehead, he looked at her with a shocked frown. "Oh please Beth. Since when do you give a damn about her condition? Last I checked, you're only comment about her was 'little girls belong in daycare and not in my ring'. Acting like you give a shit about her won't get you a check plus with me."

"This isn't about us Punk. It's about her. Playing her hero boyfriend is not the best thing for her. She needs to heal and come back to work."

"Why? So you can have another punching bag? Kaitlyn, Layla and Tamina aren't enough for you I guess." Beth scoffed as he just huffed out a laugh. "You know what I think? You're scared of these two girls becoming the next popular thing. Only, not just because their Barbie material, but they are Barbie dolls who are great at wrestling."

"Excuse me?" Beth scoffed, causing everyone to look over. "Punk-"

"No, I'm not done." She huffed as he continued. "Start studying Kaitlyn because that girl, she's good in ring, and she's your match." He loved seeing Beth get upset, knowing he finally shut her up. "As for April being around Amy and I, she's doing great. Unlike you, she actually likes me and wants me around, no matter what I'm doing. If Amy trains her, you'll know about it soon enough. Same applies when I start dating anyone. Other than that, as her friends, we've got it covered. So if would kindly stop telling people that I'm the worst person for her to confide in, that would be the nicest thing you've ever done for me."

"Phil. Let's chat before the press." John clapped and pointed to the exit for Punk, getting a nod from him. Beth rolled her eyes and grunted, knowing she lost the fight this time.

"Goodbye Beth." He hoisted up the title over his shoulder and walked away without hearing her talk. He approached John, standing side by side with him and growling out in anger.

"I agree with you man." Punk nodded as John patted his shoulder. "You are the best thing that's happened to A.J."

"I can't take all the credit. Unless you giving me yours. I would take it." John laughed as they were rejoined with the other guys.

Beth was a bitch. Nothing would change that opinion he had about her. He was in no way discouraged due to what she said him. If A.J. didn't want to stay around, she would've pushed him away by now. And if she wasn't, his place next to her will remain the same.

* * *

_All I have to say about RAW is that it kinda bored me. I did laugh at Sheamus taking the car and Chris Jericho on Tout had me laughing, but other than that, I don't remember much of it. oh yeah Kelly Kelly came back, woah. *frowning* I'm not a Kelly Kelly hater but I would have been happier if her comeback match was against Layla. You can tell I'm a Flawless fan. Lol But claps to her she came back to the ring and my other hubby Punk still wasn't the main event and Daniel Bryan is still cray cray._

_I want to thank you all once again for your awesome reviews and icebabesfire for the awesome editing she's done. And to all who are waiting the romance, it's only the beginning. Our favorite ship is about to prepare for sailing in these next few chapters. Just expect one blind iceberg to be in the way. Can you tell who it might be?_

_Don't be just a reader, be a reviewer! Show appreciation for the writer's hard work. Oh and YOU'RE BORN TO BE A STAR!_

_Besos*_


	10. You Better Make A Move

BBs! *cheeky hugs* I missed you all! Did you miss me? Probably not, you miss the story more. I know, it's cool. I missed writing it. Sorry for the lack of update, but job hunting has been kicking my butt. But today, I have a new job and a new chapter. A win for everyone, yaaaa. Hehe.

* * *

_Griffith Park South _

_Downtown Los Angeles _

"I don't understand how this is happening." A.J. heard Amy behind her, losing pace as they headed to the top of the trail loop.

"What?"

"You're moving like you did this yesterday." Amy joked, finally catching up to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder while laughing. After picking up breakfast, they decided it was best to let the dogs roam free while they overlooked the L.A. ski line by the Griffith Observatory.

A.J. was excited once they parked the car. She hopped right out and started running with Amy, as if she'd done it before and was routine for her. Amy was happy, knowing that A.J. didn't have much air in her hospital room and missed being outside.

"Well, I do this in Tampa every morning. I like to be at the top of the hills. I always walk this trail when we come to L.A." They reached the top and took in breaths, facing the Hollywood sign and looking around, seeing the lack of people around and watching the dogs run around. "It's great up here."

"Aren't you glad we did this?" A.J. nodded and placed her hands on her hips, cracking a smile and breathing more. "I mean, Runyun is my favorite peak too. Trish and I use to race Torrie and Victoria to the top just for a quick burn. One time, Punk, Colt and I walked up here…" Amy stopped once she glanced down at the petite diva. She was still breathing, but something was off as she noticed the tears that created a trail of their own with the sweat on her face. She kept grinning and giggling, but she began to mix in some choking sobs and frowns, slowly moving her hands to her ribs and hugging them. Amy pulled her closer to her and led her to a nearby bench, pulling out a bottle of water for her. "A.J?" she kept laughing and sobbing as Amy passed her the drink.

"I'm sorry." She spoke up and took the water, drinking it and taking in some breaths as she looked at her idol, tears falling from her eyes and a pout on her lips. "I just thought about how many times I've been here, and I've love it. I love my job, my friends, and my family. I love my life. And I've been through so much shit." She shook her head and Amy frowned with her. "The fact that my life almost ended in one night, after that moment, it just bothers me and I didn't want my life to be over." she started to sobbing again and leaned onto Amy's shoulder. "I didn't deserve it."

"Of course you didn't." Amy hugged her tighter as she just cried, letting it all out. Amy only guessed that this was emotion that had been bottled up for days. A.J. must have kept strong for the sake of the people who cared, but inside, she was struggling to keep it in. Hopefully, she was letting it all go, so that she could be stronger. "But you can ask him why he did it when you're strong enough to face him face to face."

"I know." A.J. took out her towel to wipe off her tears and finally sat up after a while, looking at Amy with a soft glare. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not. You don't need to be." A.J. nodded and Amy sighed. "You know what really stopped me from continuing my career?" A.J. waited as Amy looked at the sign. "I hated walking in for work after my affair with Adam became public. I thought I lost the respect of the people I work with. But I really lost it when I quit." A.J. bit her lip and Amy shook her head. "I gave up instead of bouncing back."

"It's just hard being there…"

"Without thinking they see you as weak." A.J. nodded and Amy placed a hand on her knee. "You need to show them that you aren't. That this was the fuel for the fire you already have burning, and you meant it when you said nothing will ever stop A.J." she shook her gently and smiled, causing a chain reaction and causing A.J.'s mood to slowly change. "You know great shit is coming your way. Capitalize on it."

"Thanks." They hugged again and Amy rubbed her back, letting out a breath and thinking to herself. She saw that A.J. was healing, but she was still holding something else that hurt her inside bottled up. This girl needed to let go of all the demons inside to get back to the dynamite girl she used to be.

She hoped to God Punk knows the risk of taking on this challenge. If she knows her best friend, he hates to lose anything, or any one, he cared about.

From what she's heard and seen at this point, he may really care about A.J.

* * *

_L.A. Live at the Nokia Theatre_

_Backstage at Press_

"Woah. Did you see it?"

"See what?" Punk asked as Zack Ryder took off his shades and nodded to what all of the drooling was about. Kaitlyn walked by and smoothed her hands over the long sleeved orange dress. It had a twist of material in the center and was cut off on the sides. The dress was a tight jersey material so it hugged all her muscles and curves. The black caged-style shoes she wore made her legs look great. She played with the black ends of her side ponytail but Natalya stopped her, grabbing her hand and looking back at the guys with a huge grin.

"All you have to do is wear the dress for two hours and it's off." Natalya said as Layla fixed her dress.

"Nattie, I've never worn anything this tight around my arms."

"Well, there's a first time for everything. C'mon." Layla pulled her hand as Natalya pushed on, heading towards Punk, John, Zack, and Dolph while smiling at them. "Gentleman, don't you like this really nice dress that Nattie brought for her?" Layla slowly turned her around, modeling her to them. Layla looked at them with a plea in her eyes, urging them to make Kaitlyn feel better.

"Darling, you really look amazing." The guys and the girls all slowing turned to Sheamus, who just kept his eyes on hers, flashing his traditional great white smirk and not noticing Layla squealing. "Not that you haven't looked beautiful before but… ya know, it's hard not to look at ya."

Kaitlyn just stood there stunned, then nervously blushed and turned away from all the gawking eyes. "I agree with that assessment." Punk spoke up, having all the guys mutter with him like horny teenagers.

"Thanks guys." She felt better about wearing the dress after Sheamus complimented her and having them stare at her like she was one of the popular girls in the teen movies, the ones that look hot walking down the halls in slow motion, even if they were just eying her body.

"Well, it's time for the divas to hit the photo booth so, come on Kait. Boys." Layla walked away with Natalya and Kaitlyn while waving them off. Sheamus kept watching her walk away and Dolph nodded with a smug look on his face.

"That was…I honestly don't know what that was." Daniel spoke up and Punk laughed with him.

"That was something new." Kofi said, having John nod with him. "It's like eyeing my little sister's hot best friend."

"Thank god she's only one of them on the outside." Zack spoke up, frowning in amusement while Kaitlyn took photos. "Hopefully she stays like that on the outside."

John patted Punk's chest and pointed to Sheamus, who was still gawking at her and smiling. Daniel waved his hand in front of his face and still nothing. "Dude!" Dolph yelled and Sheamus turned to him with a frown. "You better get that on your arm, before she ends up on someone else's."

"Like who? You?"

Dolph smirked sly like and looked over to her. "You know what? Maybe she'll help the heavyweight belt look better with me. Or she'll look better with _just_ the belt on."

Sheamus growled as John got in the middle. "Relax, he's joking."

Dolph's face didn't convince him as he winked his eyebrows, getting cockier by the second. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. See you guys later." Dolph walked off as Sheamus just stared him down, holding up the belt while Dolph held up the briefcase.

"I'm pretty sure Kaitlyn doesn't like cocky scumbags." Daniel spoke up, nodding with John. "I would know. She hates my guts."

"She doesn't hate you…." Punk stopped to think about all the times he argued with the hybrid diva over A.J's safety, over who was a great wrestler, over pretty much everything. "I mean, you're not a cocky scum bag. She does kind of hate you."

"She doesn't hate you man." Zack spoke up, gently slapping Sheamus shoulder. "Just ask her already."

"Ask her what?" Daniel asked.

Zack rolled his eyes and pointed to Sheamus. "He got passes from Hunter for the Liverpool game at LA Galaxy tomorrow afternoon." Punk made an impressed expression with John and they turned to one another making the face as a joke, then turning back to Sheamus, who just stared at them with a plain face.

"That's great man."

"What is?" Chris Jericho asked while walking up to the guys, shaking hands with them all and joining in on the conversation on his way to the Summerslam press carpet.

"Sheamo's got tickets to an LA Galaxy v. Liverpool invitational." Chris nodded while Zack spoke, patting Sheamus on the shoulder with a small smile.

"Nice, you love Liverpool." Chris then looked over his shoulder and peaked at Kaitlyn, who was speaking to the press. "Doesn't Kaitlyn like soccer?"

John snapped his fingers and slapped Punk lightly in the chest. "I forgot about that man! She _does_ love her some Beckham." he joked as Zack nodded. "And, I bet she'd just _love_ to go."

Punk pointed to himself and looked over at the internet champion. "May I?" Zack nodded slowly as Punk pumped his fist in front of the heavyweight champion. "Woo woo woo, you know it." The guys laughed as Sheamus clenched his jaw.

"I would ask her but there's one issue lad. She's trying her hardest to convince AJ to go out. Maybe, if AJ goes, she'll go." Sheamus spoke up, turning to Punk with an unsure frown. "AJ's not goin' anywhere without _you_."

"You think AJ will go?" John asked.

"I don't know." Chris said, and then turned to Punk with a shrug. "Maybe if you go, she'll skip right behind you with her In Punk We Trust shirt on." he joked while walking away with Zack and Daniel, laughing and heading out to press, leaving Punk and his finger response.

"Who said I wasn't going? I love sports when loud, jeering, devoted fans fill the stadium. It's funny to watch." Punk defended. "How many seats you got?"

"8. I already asked the Colon's cousins to tag along. So with that, I have two left."

"Amy's here and Colt just landed here. Mind if they join in?" Sheamus nodded. "Cool. You let me handle AJ's part, just ask Kait." Kaitlyn came back to the area with Layla talking to her and Natalya clapping for her. "Now."

"Right." Sheamus took a deep breath as John patted his shoulders for the boost, helping place his title over his shoulder before he walked over to the girls. She glanced over while he walked and instantly brightened her smile, giving the girls an okay to walk away. Layla joined John and Punk to watch the moment happen. Punk whipped out his phone to quickly send a text to both Amy and AJ about the moment while Layla leaned onto John as he clued her into the plan.

"Really? Finally!" She moaned as Punk laughed. "You think she'll say yes. He'll be so hurt is she doesn't." Layla asked while pouting to John playfully. Punk saw a response from AJ that made him smile _'Sure. I would love to just kick it like Becks. Count me in.'_ and one from Amy that said _'I'm totally down. Just remind Colt to wear underwear 'cause he gave the lady from TSA some serious crack. Yikes.'_ He rolled his eyes at Colt's text: _'You could have told me Amy was with this cute girl A.J. I would have worn undies jerk.'_

"Why do I hang around you weirdos?" He mumbled to himself while sending thumbs up Sheamus' way, letting him know that it worked. Seconds later, Kaitlyn's squealing and nodding made Layla smile. "You guys should join us at Gaucho Grill after the game tomorrow. You should stop by before the WWE 13' press conference."

John looked around him playfully and Punk scoffed, Layla shook her head at the pair. "Oh, you _are_ talking to me. I thought Show was trying to attack me and your plan to have me hurt before Sunday failed."

"I can't stand trying to be nice to you and you know it. Why do you have to ruin it?" Punk spat as John shrugged smiling.

"You two are worse than an old married couple." She chuckled out. "But I'm down. Kofi might drag me after our B.A. Star rally anyway. I just want to have fun before working all day Saturday."

"It's gonna be a fun night. Trust me."

"Honey, I'm home!" Punk yelled as Kaitlyn, Kofi and Sheamus followed him into the multi-family Santa Monica home he was staying in for the weekend. The house was huge and private but he looked around nervously when he noticed how quiet it was. They all placed their belongings down to wander around the property. He peaked at how clean everything was and even walking to pool and backyard to see where the girls may have gone. His tour bus was parked outside and so was the car, so a walk with the dogs seemed to be the guess for him.

"Thought you said they came back here after they picked up Colt?" Kaitlyn asked while placing her bags on the floor.

"You think AJ chopped up the bodies by now?" Sheamus joked while Punk gave him a blank stare and Kaitlyn laughed with him.

"Not funny." Kofi said while walking up the stairs to the rooms. Punk noticed the way the floors outside were wet and the water balloons that where piled in a huge bucket. The soaker guns that laid there also made him roll his eyes. "No one's upstairs." Kofi walked out side with both of them next to him. He picked up the note on the floor and read it with a high voice. "What's on?"

"Game on!" A.J. leaned over the balcony with Amy as they started hurling water balloons, one of them smacking Kaitlyn right in the face, the other one in the back of Kofi's jeans.

"ATTACK!" Colt jumped from the side of the house with two huge water guns dressed in blue army gear and unloaded on them all. Punk cursed himself while Kofi just started picking balloons and hurling those upstairs. Kaitlyn grabbed a water gun while Sheamus started hurling a few balloons at Colt. It turned into a complete wet brawl. Balloons flying, water shooting, and people running while laughing. The girls ran down the stairs for a better advantage as Punk grabbed onto AJ to stop her from shooting. Sheamus shielded Kaitlyn as Kofi soaked Colt and Amy with a water hose. Colt and Amy both pushed Kofi into the pool, but Amy was dragged in with him as Colt jumped in just for the hell of it.

"White flag!" Kaitlyn yelled when Colt started yelling in the water. AJ grabbed onto Punk's shoulder and they all snickered together, seeing Kaitlyn waved her now wet tank top. "I'm out."

"Yeah, me too. I can't take getting attacked again." Kofi sank wiped the water from his eyes as Colt raised Amy's hands in victory.

"I told you AJ. Water fights are better when ambush tactics are used." They glanced over and saw how close AJ was in Punk's arms. Face to face, they just kept looking at one another, water dripping of them and breathing heavy from the energy exhausted. Punk grinned while he took his hand and moved the wet strands of hair that blocked her face, keeping an intense lock on her eyes. "April!" She blinked and looked over Punk's arm, seeing Colt raised his hand, waiting for her to join the winner's circle. She laughed while running into the water, then rising out the water and raising a hand with them, smiling at Punk and blushing.

Everyone saw that and had questions regarding the two. The main one: what was brewing between them?

* * *

Sheamus and Punk both leaned on the kitchen island with Colt and Kofi standing by, dry and dressed for the night to come but looking upset and content as an envelope sat in the center of the table. Sheamus waited while A.J. took time to help Kaitlyn get dressed for the Kick-off party before telling Punk about Drew's note for A.J. which had been sitting in his luggage bag since he visited Drew. Drew had to beg him to even look at the note let alone take it, but he did, and now he didn't know if he wanted A.J. to read it right now. He wasn't going to read it so he handed it to Punk, who didn't feel right about knowing the contents before her. No one did, which is why they just left it there.

"So…" Colt quipped while coming to the table, looking around until his eyes landed on the paper. "I say we burn it."

Amy stopped his hand before he reached for it. "I say we don't."

"I agree." Kofi spoke up with his head swayed negatively. "I think she needs to read it now."

"I say she doesn't." Sheamus said, pulling his Kangol hat up nervously while waiting for Punk to respond. "Champ? What's on ya mind?"

Punk sighed, chewing on his lip ring and crossing his arms defensively. They all discussed A.J.'s progress and how she was showing signs of trust with all of them, and how lying to her wasn't the best opinion. However, the things written in the letter could trigger emotions, memories and reenactments that took two months for her to get over. The crying before bed, the flinching around friends and family, and the nightmares which caused late night terrors and screaming would all return once she opened the paper.

"Phil." Punk glanced at Amy, who shook her head. She even put in her two cents by telling them about the breakdown AJ had. "I agree with Stephen. Reading this could make the hard work go to waste. It's too early for her to hear from him. She's not strong enough."

"That's bullshit." Colt frowned at everyone sudden doubt. "You guys just told me how great she's been doing, but now she's so fragile, such a piece of rare imported glass, that she'll shatter once we drop this in her lap."

"It's not that man." Kofi spoke up as Punk ran his hand over his hair. "She's doing well, but _great_ is what we need if she's going to read this. I just think she needs to know it's here to read when she's ready, not tucked away from her."

"I don't even think she should read what he has to say. That bastard needs to tell her face to face."

"You know that's not possible…"

"It is." Punk finally spoke up and everyone looked confused. He picked up the letter and tapped it on the table, looking up. "David told me and Daniel that A.J. is allowed one visit before he's sent back overseas to serve his jail time." The range for faces from shock and anger spread as Sheamus shook his head. "And…I _could_ tell her, or Daniel will, but we both agreed not to. Not now." He handed the letter to Sheamus with a grimace. "Same goes for this note. Keep it until the time is right man. Cause it's not right now."

"This is bad man." Kofi said while looking with anxiousness in his creased forehead. "I feel like shit. We're lying to her, which will hurt her more if she finds out."

"She'll find out when she's completely healed. I'm not watching her fall apart again, no matter how sorry he may be." Punk just exhaled before walking out towards the room, leaving them in the kitchen.

Amy saw how conflicted Sheamus looked as he touched the envelope, looking hurt that he was involved in this, so she reached for it and slowly took it away. "I'll put it away in your bag later." Sheamus just nodded as he then walked away with his beer in his hand, heading outside to sit and cool off.

"You guys had to be here to see it." Amy shook her head while Colt and Kofi watched Amy tuck the letter high above the cabinets for the moment. "She just exploded at the park. Tears and all, she cried about that night. As if she couldn't believe she survived it. Physically and mental she's stronger, but her emotions still need work. Giving her this letter will just put Punk back at square one."

"Oh God. I know. But you know how I feel about lying."

"I know but, just pretend we made the decision on when to tell her. At the right time. You know he's protecting her and it's been hard on him too. He could possibly…you know…"

"Stop. Please. I have a penis, so this romance tragedy shit is so All My Children to me. It's a real downer on my persona." Amy scoffed while Kofi laughed. Colt grabbed a beer from the fridge and popped it open. "And you should talk to him about how he feels before focusing on playing cupid."

"I know." Amy bit her nail and thought about all the time she was spending with Punk. When they reconciled their issues and decided to have a pure friendship, she didn't know how upset he was over his break up with Beth. It was bad, like, hurling glass against a wall bad. Maria didn't even piss him off that much. He swore that having a relationship with someone at the moment wasn't happen, especially with becoming Champ and growing a fan base. He didn't want the roll he was on to slowdown.

Then June 17th happened.

Now he was pulled into this hero act with A.J. and added her well-being to his list priorities. Most people would do what he's been doing for a little bit and back off. It's been two months and he's still putting in full time hours for AJ. He spent most of his summer with AJ instead of being home or with friends.

He might not want to admit it, so she will for him. Punk has feelings other than concern for April.

"Just, try to get to know her more guys. Till she's okay, she's around man." Kofi spoke up while adjusting his tie and picking up his tag team belt.

That's when a small light bulb went off in her head and she smiled to herself. "Or, we can help her get back to her dream, so he wouldn't have worry."

"Err, no. That's not…"

"She's really good in the ring. But she could use some training. More experience." Amy just winked her eyebrows as the room remained silent.

"So?" Colt spoke up, still lost with her statement.

"Oh come on, you talk all this shit about how I'm so good that I can lead these girls in the right direction. You heard the critics say that I'm still one of the best divas in the ring and how I should come back to save them. But if she's there and learns from some with clause, she could rock the division. Maybe I should work with her."

That's when Kofi had to press the stop button for her. "Amy, as your friend, I'm telling you not to overstep your boundaries in this situation. I'm sure Punk would ban you from doing this so I'm saving him the work."

"I've been involved since he showed up at my hotel room with red eyes and the thought of this girl on his brain. I'm concerned. He's sticking to her like glue and she just wants respect from everyone. There are a lot of mixed signals here."

"And it's not your place to switch the bulbs!" Amy rolled her eyes and scoffed while Colt forced her to stare at him. "I know you're worried about them. I'm worried also but c'mon Amy, don't get more involved in this. I have a really bad feeling about your idea."

"It's going to work. It's not like I'm pushing her away from him. I'm giving her a push in the other direction, the right one." Amy smirked as she thought of one idea that would make the plan work. She walked towards the stairs with a huge smile ad Colt and Kofi followed with cautioned eyes.

"Amy..." She ignored them, chewing her lip while walking and thinking. She wasn't trying to get rid of AJ or pressure Punk into a relationship. She just really wanted her to get better- and push Punk to make a move at the same time.

Killing two birds with one huge stone was going to required help, and as A.J's blonde-brunette toned friend jogged down the stairs, her plans grew as big as her smirk. "Kaitlyn, can we chat for a minute alone? I need your help."

* * *

What do you guys think? Should AJ know about the letter or is keeping it from her a benefit to her healing? And should Punk tell AJ about his feelings? And do you think Amy's plan will make things worse? Summerslam weekend continues and more cute 'omg just kiss already moments'. Not a lot of Punklee together in this chapter, but I'm prepping for some drama, bear with me.

I love your reviews. But you know what story that has been getting my juices flowing? All Falls Down. AmandaEchelon is the writer and so far, I'm itching for an update from her again. I itch from an update for UnbelievinglyRandom, DemonicXaliv, and from the other great writers here. I can't believe how many stories have hit this ship. And I'm glad to be a part of it. However, I'm concerned about the other people who ship this couple. The amount of hate Amy Dumas gets for being around Punk, who is not only her ex but one of his closest friends and honestly, my second pick for a girlfriend besides AJ in a storyline, is ridiculous. I posted on my Tumb1r page that AJ/Punk is a kayfabe, and the closet thing they may have to a relationship is only on a friendship level. Their interaction is great, but it's fiction. Let's keep it at that and leave their personal lives out of it. Besides, it was Lita's dog on his lap, not Lita. I can't believe people freak over that.

Any who, Next chapter is in progress and I promise not to let you down if you don't let me down. Read and review! *besos*


	11. Colt of Personality and Logic

_Hello! *cheek kisses* I'm back, and I'm excited! DemonicXaliv, Red Foxy, Jean-theGuardian, AmandaEchelon, UnbelievinglyRandom thanks for reviewing. And Guest, You have no face *pout* but you're review was awesome! Thanks and I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
_

_Nothing is mine...bummer. _

* * *

_Friday, August 17th, 2012_

_The Home Depot Center, Carson, CA_

_Home of the L.A. Galaxy Soccer team_

Sheamus and Kaitlyn both jumped up with Primo and Epico as the Liverpool team scored a goal. AJ even stood up to wave her towel as Punk clapped it up with them, enjoying the match so far from the front row and with his friends. They all arrived at the stadium a little early to get some merchandise and once PR heard WWE superstars were there, they were invited to the locker room to meet some of the L.A. Galaxy players along with the Liverpool team. Even though Kailtlyn was clearly beaming over Beckham and the autographed shirt he gave her, she still sported the Liverpool Away jersey once she brought it, having AJ, Sheamus, and Punk wear it as well in support of the British team.

"This game is awesome! Fabio is just amazing!" Kaitlyn yelled as Sheamus grinned, watching her cheer for his team with AJ. "I know David is going to be upset with me."

"These seats are good Sheamo." Orlando Colon, known as Epico to the fans of the WWE, said as his cousin Eddie (Primo) agreed with him.

"The seating _sure_ is interesting." Primo hinted with a light smile as Kaitlyn looked back, laughing with Amy about it. Kaitlyn wanted to sit with her date (If that's what he was) and her best friend, and Punk chose to sit in the front row. Primo was happy he even had seats so he decided to sit anywhere, which Epico followed, that left the last two seat behind AJ and Punk for Amy and Colt. The fates spoke in their favor for AJ and Punk to stay closer together just as her and Amy planned for them too. It wasn't even about who sat where at this point. Kaitlyn was having her first night out with Sheamus ever and her first night out with AJ since her attack. Besides the fact that she's in another PPV match and David Becks kissed her hand, she was on cloud nine.

"I have to agree. I've never sat this close at a game before." Kaitlyn added with a satisfied shrug. She looked to Sheamus with the tenth cheerful grin of the night. "Thank you for inviting me Stephen."

"Not a problem lass. I know how much you love the game."

"That's not all she loves." Epico joked with high eyebrows as Kaitlyn scoffed, hitting his knee as he laughed with Primo.

"At least we're close to the action. I remember watching back in Spain while on a tour. Guy got smacked in the head with a ball. He broke his nose and everything, still got up to make a goal. But I had to watch the blood from the TV." Colt said with A.J. looking back smiling, watching Colt wink at her as she did. "Are you having fun A.J?"

"Yep. It was painful watching Fabio collide with that other player during the first quarter though." She winced as Punk groaned.

"Ugh, I missed the pain!" She nodded as he shook his head. "You just _had_ to crave a hot dog."

"I told you I would go with them. I didn't put your arm in an Anaconda Vise, you volunteered." She joked as he chuckled.

"You promised not to bring that up. It's _our_ secret. I didn't teach everyone who wanted to learn." He whispered as Colt smacked his head, causing Punk to roll his eyes. "See? Now I'm in deep shit."

"Oh yeah, I'll have to take out the 'pen' on every one." She hinted. He snickered when she used the reference, thinking of how many times they watched Men in Black together in the hospital.

"You're going to need to knock him out with a shovel. A neutralizer isn't enough." They both laughed as Amy nudged Colt, smiling at all the cuteness as Colt displayed fake vomit faces. She then turned her attention to the Colons cousin when a time out occurred. This action was phrase one of Operation AJPunk.

"So, how are things at WWC Orlando?" She asked as Epico looked over with his grin, nodding his head with excitement.

"Really great. I have some time off coming soon so I'm gonna head back to train more."

"So are you living in Puerto Rico?"

"Yeah but when Eddie goes home and I have a show, I stay with him in Tampa. I haven't really been back to PR since our angles with the tag teams have been on display."

"So, how many female wrestlers are down there?" Kaitlyn secretly glanced at Punk and AJ once Amy's question was asked to see AJ leaning back, trying to listen to the noise. Colt frowned at the question while Punk just listened with his ears.

"Not a lot there. I mean, they have a title, but the company's so small, that girls aren't willing to wrestle for no one."

"That's sad. I remember those days. Performing in a small crowd is completely different atmosphere. Guys can deal with it, but women always want more." A.J. said.

"Yeah, but training in another country is completely different than doing it in the states."

"How so?" Kaitlyn asked while Sheamus joined in the conversation as well.

"It depends on the country. You already know that in Mexico and Puerto Rico its high flying and technique that the fans love. When I wrestled for Irish Whip, it was mainly about kicking arse blended with the old school wrestling styles." The guys nodded in agreement. "In Japan, they just look crazy. They make us look normal."

"I think training in another country is great. I learned how to do things I would have never learned in the states." Amy bragged as AJ looked interested, having Amy smile down at her. "I took a whole year off to learn in Mexico. Besides being in another country for the living, it was a great experience learning styles from them."

"Yeah but, I don't think it's that important now. You can learn just as much from one great mentor that lives in the states." A.J. defended.

"True, but having the higher advantage with different styles makes the difference." Orlando said, catching a look from AJ and grinning at her. "And if your beautiful, it's an A plus." He winked and she scoffed with a smile, accepting his flirting before turning back to the game.

Punk felt this urge to pop his eyes back in his head for staring at her like that, but he brought himself back to calm_. She's not your girl. Chill out. Kid's just being nice. That's all._

Amy however caught onto it. She leaned back while thinking of the next step. "Well, all I'm saying is if someone has the chance to learn something new, they should take the opportunity." Colt shrugged. Kaitlyn jumped up as Liverpool looked to close the game with another goal, causing Sheamus to jump up and cheer with the fans.

"No more talk about work. I have to deal with it in the morning." Punk shut it down and glanced at A.J., holding out his pinky and smirking. "This week is all about having a blast in LA. Apple Jacks?"

Once she took the pinky, her smile reappeared and she nodded. "You got it Cookie Monster."

"That was so cute my vomit awed over it." Colt joked as everyone snickered. Punk gave him a finger before they all jumped up and cheered at the finally goal made.

* * *

_Guacho Grill _

_Santa Monica, CA_

"SummerSlam weekend. I've been taking in the sights and enjoying the night before the next few events ahead. Right guys?" Kofi said while Punk, Layla, Colt and Amy all cheered towards his iPhone camera. Everyone sans Primo and Epico sat in small Santa Monica restaurant for dinner, dressed in semi-casual attire and being joined by Kofi and Layla for the rest of the night since they wrapped up a B.A star rally in the area. There wasn't a huge crowd outside so they opted to take the area and caught the view of the beach while drinking and eating.

Colt cut into his food as Kofi nodded to Kaitlyn and Sheamus, who both checked out of the group talk and started talking among them at the end of the table. "Guess where he'll be taking in some sights that are much better later." he joked.

"Scott…" A.J. warned with Colt's real name as Punk snorted with everyone else at the table.

"Oh come on, you have to admit that he's finally getting somewhere with her. She's turned him down so many times but he never gave up. Now look at how happy she is." Layla awed as A.J. glanced, noticing how Kaitlyn was blushing profoundly and Sheamus' hand was rubbing hers past the plates. A.J. even awed when she started giggling at his jokes, knowing very well that Kaitlyn doesn't giggle.

"Okay, they _are_ interesting together." She glanced back the group and beamed. "I'm happy for her. And…what happened to John I thought he was coming with you Layla."

"Eve beat me to the punch." Layla answered with amusement in her voice. "So they agreed to make it up to you after Axxess tomorrow Punk."

"No one can say that I wasn't being the nice guy. I invited and he didn't show." Punk raised his hands in defense as A.J. put it down. "I hope you're all happy to see that I can be nice."

"Are you happy?" Kofi asked as A.J. cleared her throat, shaking her head with a smile.

"You know, being here and out with people who care about me, not home and bored alone, I really am enjoying this." She nodded, looking at Colt with a low smile. "Especially since we dominated you guys in that water fight."

"Team Crazy!" Amy shouted as AJ and Colt tapped their glasses cheering while Punk rolled his eyes.

"You had to sneak on me to win."

"Bullshit, you got p'owned by two sets of tits and a fat kid. You lost champ." Punk knocked Colt's hat off and glanced back at AJ.

"I've also been thinking about Amy's comment."

He discreetly tried to shallow the huge lump that formed in his throat when she brought that up again. "What about it?"

"She has a point. A lot of wrestlers and other athletes are noted the best because they learn more and train harder." Punk frowned while nodding as she continued. "I have the time. I should take some time to train. Pick up some styles and perfect the ones I have. I might become better than you." he chuckled with everyone as A.J. smirked.

"I'm not Heath. I won't take another ass kicking from a woman."

"But, seriously, I am thinking about doing something else. If I learn more and display how great I can be in the ring, it's going to impress everyone and put me in the competitors circle when I come back."

"Where would ya go?" Layla asked as A.J. looked over. "Back to FCW?"

"Actually, Eddie use to tell me about WWC during NXT. I am of Puerto Rican heritage, and since I'm familiar with some libre styles, I should pick up where I left off."

"So you would really leave the states?" Kofi spoke next sounding a little sad. Punk frowned even more as everyone waited for her answer.

"I just want to be somewhere new. I've been to Puerto Rico, but never stayed for a long time. And, like I said, it's to learn more."

"It does make your better." Amy hinted as Punk started to get annoyed. Amy was his friend and he asked for her help, but she was taking the term 'help' a little too seriously and trying to push AJ to leave.

"Besides, I wouldn't stay long. Maybe two months before I return and ink the new deal. Who's really going to miss me for that long?"

Before Punk could object, he just decided that changing the subject would be better. "So, what do you have planned during the party tonight?"

"Amy has an appearance at the Frank and Sons show, remember? I thought I would be with her again since you're busy with media and axxess all morning." Punk looked surprised as Amy noticed his instant discomfort. He cleared his throat and shifted forward to eat more as Colt spoke up.

"I'm doing the podcast with the Bellas before they appear too. The only time I can chance them both. Plus, they really wanna see A.J."

"Cool. What about before?" AJ shrugged as Punk nodded. "I'm filming the commercial for WWE 13' and doing a Jimmy Kimmel segment. We have one extra backstage and I'd like for you to come." AJ nodded with eagerness and Colt smiled. "Good, you have to wear my shirt though."

"Oh, everyone knows how good I make your merchandise look."

"Don't let Kelly Kel hear you say that." Kofi joked.

"Naw, AJ's innocence gives her an advantage on the cropped shirts. Plus, she matches the gear with red old school chucks. That's the winning factor." He winked and she raised her hands for his high five.

"Well, I did get an A on all my cutting projects so I have to pat my own back for that." She did so as Punk grinned, catching the stare that Colt judged him with.

Just then, a group of men with instruments, dressed in custom clothing, walked onto the small stage and started to play a Zumba rhythm. Dancers came out and moved in the restaurant to the beats in a traditional dance. AJ bobbed her head to the beat as everyone cheered for the performance. Once they started another one, some male dancers approached AJ, Amy, and Layla to give it a try as the woman asked Sheamus and Kofi to join.

"Oh no lass, sorry." He shook the woman off, but Kaitlyn had other plans.

"Stephen, you should dance."

"I don't sweetheart. I have the feet of a blind mule." She snickered and stood up, offering her hands with a smile. "Kaityln, I'll embarrass ya."

"Good. As a former class clown, I have to live up to my daily expectations. You will just be my assistant." She urged his hand. After seeing her pouting, he raised a hand and took hers, getting cheers from the group as they both took directions from the dancers. Layla took the hand of her suitor as Kofi jumped up, dancing playfully to the beat with a dancer. Amy and AJ both jumped up and slowly learned with the guys, having Punk snicker at them both. Everyone was taken aback by this version of A.J., knowing how shy she is. But now she was laughing while following the dancing directions perfectly, spinning around in her loose white tank-shorts outfit and swaying her hips a little, purely enjoying it and not caring about how silly she looked.

"So, when are you gonna admit it?" Punk blinked then glanced at Colt, who had his eye on her and grinned. "I mean, she's cute, fun, active and she's totally into you."

Punk scoffed while eating. "No she's not."

"Please bro. You can smell it on her. She's like a puppy that wants the owner who's really good at scratching behind the ears." Punk shook his head and Colt patted his shoulder. "I know you like her."

Punk sighed, turning to his best friend with his Pepsi in hand. "Okay, yeah man, she's awesome."

"No, you _like_ her."

"Shit man. Stop drilling it. I really do like her, but I want her to get better before I try to make anything of it."

"Bullshit. You are the king of romance. You can woo her out of this funk completely. And from what I see, she wants someone like you to do it."

"What are you, my mother?"

"No, I'm the grandmother that wants you to talk to the wholesome, pretty girl who sings in church choir." Punk laughed with him and Colt stared at her, thinking of how her energy is something his best friend needs in his life. He also wanted to beat Amy at her planning game. "C'mon man, if she knows now, making her happy again won't take so long. And she'll be happy again."

"But if I hurt her…"

"You won't. As long as you give it time. When people go through what she did, they don't even leave the house." Punk saw her dancing with Kofi as he carefully spun her around and understood what he was saying, noting how she wasn't afraid of them as much. "She's okay man. She's just looking for a few more things to complete her healing process."

Punk glanced at Colt and gave him a defeated frown. "Fine, I'll talk to her."

"Before the weekend is over?"

Shaking his head in annoyance, he rolled his eyes at his best friend. "Yes nana. I'll talk to her."

Colt patted his shoulders and shook him. "That's my boy!" Punk shook his head and smirked, feeling better that he told someone how he felt.

Now all he had to do was repeat it to the right person.

* * *

_Saturday, August 18th, 2012_

"I told you. She does like him."

"I know. I saw what you saw and you've been repeating yourself for the last hour."

"Well, what are we gonna do now? You saw how clueless she was and how upset he got about her leaving his side."

"We can't do anything really. Except talk and wait." Kaitlyn sighed as she hung out with Amy in the kitchen, reliving the day before and how Punk was acting with A.J. over salads and lemonades. Punk was taping Kimmel with A.J and Colt backstage as Amy returned from her appearance and Kaitlyn sat down in her outfit for a nightlife appearance with Alicia Fox. "Knowing Colt, he talked to Punk already."

"I don't see how helping her move away is helping them get closer."

"Don't back out Kait. You said you'd do anything to help A.J. get better."

"But she is getting better. She doesn't need to leave the country to do it." Kaitlyn saw her phone ring and snorted, answering the text as Amy waited for her to speak up.

"No, we want normal A.J. back and we want her to make independent decisions. Remember April? She's the hyper comic book geek that loved me and Pokeman since she was twelve." Kaitlyn laughed as Amy stared with a smile in her eyes. "You have to admit. He's been great around her these last few months and has been trying his best to help April heal. Why wouldn't he feel something for her? It's fine, but we can't have them jumping off and on the wagon based on the wrong reasons. It has to be based off love now. "

"That's true." Kaitlyn watched Amy's smile widen and she scoffed. "Fine, I'll talk to her about it." The phone chimed again as she focused on it, making her smile even brighter. "If she does go away, I hope it's really short term."

"With Punk to come back to, it will be. And she might not even go." After that last word, Colt was the first to jog in and April followed, laughing with her overgrown DragonBall-Z vintage sweatshirt sleeve over mouth. Punk then walked in with a huge smile on his face and Kaitlyn frowned towards them. "What's so funny?"

A.J. shooed for Punk not to talk, but he held her hands down and blurred it out. "Some 14 year old asked AJ to marry him."

Amy snorted as Kaitlyn awed. A.J. just looked completely embarrassed. "Did he have a ring?"

When A.J. showed them the blue Ring Pop, Punk and Colt just fell apart in heckles. She twisted her lip with a smile and sat in the chair next to Kaitlyn. "He even licked it so it would bond us forever."

"That's what? Number 10?" A.J. shoved Punk as he joked about it. "He totally jacked Hornswoggle's idea, but I'm glad you didn't turn him down."

"How could I? I mean, he _licked_ it. That's a serious commitment sign you know." She joked while placing the ring on the table.

"How did it go?" Amy asked while continuing to eat, Kaitlyn still texting on the phone and A.J. picked at the food she and Colt craved since lunch.

"Pretty good. We talked about John, how I don't really hate him, then his little Sal friend challenged him to a match at Survivor Series and I joked that I would train him for it." He rambled. "What else ahhh.."

"WWE 13." A.J. mumbled.

"Oh yeah, the cover and how good I am at games, what I like and don't. He asked about the straight edge thing, answered that and got a great pop from the audience. Then, we weighed in on Summerslam and my opponents, where he clowned Big Show and I laughed. And that was it. Not bad. Same as Fallon, but it was funnier." He snapped his fingers at A.J. with a smile. "The kid that raps, uhhh…"

"Drake called her attractive." Kaitlyn gasped, feeling jealous that her bestie met one of her favorite rappers. "He 'complemented' her on her custom AJ Chuck Taylor's and jeans look. But mostly the jeans." Colt pointed to her ass while she covered her face.

"He did?" Punk asked and A.J. innocently shrugged, looking down at the skinny jeans she wore on set. "He's lucky I was getting dressed."

"Oh relax. He's way out of my league. And he's not comic book smart." She joked. Kaitlyn's phone chimed again and Punk scoffed.

"Who are you texting?" he asked while getting up to reach for it, causing Kaitlyn to jump away in defense. "It better be cousin Beaker and you better be talking about the wedding party."

"Punk! Go away!" she yelled while getting up to talk outside in the backyard with her phone.

"No sexting, it catches up with you." he yelled while laughing. "How did the appearance go?"

"Same shit. 'You looked great on Raw'…blah blah…'the diva division hasn't been the same since you left'…blah blah…'you and AJ against Eve and Beth at Wrestlemania'….blah blah blah…Blah!" she playfully stuck her tongue out before chewing her salad away. "For once, I miss the 'will you marry me?' randoms."

"All you have to do is call the people who handle it. Just saying." Punk joked and she shook her head. Punk got up to find a clean shirt for the next appearance and walked outside to lean over Kaitlyn as a spy, earning a playful push before he jogged back in and up the stairs.

"Why don't you come back?" A.J. asked. Amy shook her head and A.J. snickered in confusion. "You could totally show Eve up in a match. You guys have great in ring abilities." She hinted with winking eyebrows.

"When you come back, I'll come back."

"Yeah right." Colt snickered as Amy glared at Colt, offended by that response as Punk walked out in a black shirt and clean jeans. "I put money on that."

"What? You guys don't think I'll come back to stay?"

"No, you don't _want_ to. Huge difference." Before she could defend herself, a knock on the door made Punk check his gear and Kaitlyn leave the backyard to grab her clutch to head out. "Have fun tonight with the Bellas, don't trash the house and no number twos in the master bathroom, _Colt."_

"You can't control human nature Batman."

"I'll kick your ass if I find a trace of turd in the bowl, Captain Underpants." he placed a traditional kiss on A.J. head as she smiled. "Order something scary off Netflix so Kaitlyn can get laid." Kaitlyn scoffed before Punk escorted her out the house and to the cars they were riding in.

A.J. waited for the door to close before placing her food down and pulling out her iPad, getting concerned looks from Colt and Amy. "Okay, so, I've been talking to Orlando since yesterday and he sent more info on WWC and looking at places in Mexico."

Amy froze as Colt rose an eyebrow. "About what?"

"If I start planning now, I could begin training with him at the end of the month. Since the promotion was a former developmental camp, they don't have an issue with welcoming anyone willing to commit." She snapped her fingers while smiling. "See, I got a response from one of the bookers already."

Amy choked on her food and coughed uncontrollably as Colt stood up to look at A.J's iPad. He ran his hands over his curly Mohawk while reading a brief welcome note and offer. "Woah, that was fast. They offered to train you and a part time yearly contract."

"Yearly?" she repeated with fear in her eyes, but Colt shook his head.

"It's not going to affect your status with WWE. It just means that you'll wrestle once you've completed training. Just some house shows or in their cause, a few weeks of televised in rings." She nodded and Colt closed the skull and crossbones iPad case, spinning A.J. around to face him as she snorted, not happy about him doing that. "You're not going."

"Colt…."

"Piss off Amy, I'm doing everyone a favor by saying this." A.J. folded her arms with a small twist to her lips and he exhaled, hoping what he had to say would help Punk's chances with her. "You can't go. He's been doing all this protective shit for a reason A.J., and you know why. You can't go without letting him know that you've fallen for him."

A.J. slowly unfolded her arms and frowned, then quickly tried to wave off the comment. Grabbing her pad and pushing her way out of Colt view, she shook her head with a lazy smile. "This is not about Punk. I don't need to be under his arms or his watch anymore. I was independent before him and before…before I was raped." She softly spoke that last part as Amy stood up in shock and realized that was the first time A.J. actually mentioned what happened to her in a simple term. She's been avoiding the word for months, but now she decided to just let it out, no matter how painful it was. "I've been through much worse than this you know? I've been poor, homeless and alone. But I made it far enough to have what I want. I had help but I've never had to lean on anyone. So if I want to branch out on my own again, nothing and no one is going to get in my way." She paused to look at Amy, then back to Colt after placing the tablet back on the counter.

"And yes." Colt lifted his head and stared at her with amazement in his eyes. "I _have_ feelings for him okay. Can you blame me?"

"A.J., there's nothing wrong with that…"

"Then why do I feel like uncomfortable about it? It's like…it's gross and inappropriate to feel this way about a guy." Her bottom lip quivered and Amy rolled her eyes while turning for the paper towel, hating that Colt brought this up. He felt remorseful as well once a lone tear fell from her small brown eyes. "It's like I shouldn't feel this way about him."

"Like hell. You like him. Maybe before this incident you didn't know him that well. But now, you do. And you like who he is as a person." She looked away and kept crying as Amy passed her a tissue. "You're a great woman April and Phil sees that. Don't let what happen to you ruin it." She nodded and Colt smiled, slowly pulling her into a hug for the first time. She wasn't so comfortable with it when he landed. "You're fine now. If you talk to him about it, you'll feel better. Trust me." She mumbled okay against his chest and Colt noticed Amy's tearful eyes, knowing her as the non-tearful type. He waved her over and she chuckled, joining in the group hug and shaking all of them.

"Alright. I have a penis so this sappy shit isn't for me. Let's get going so I can start recording." A.J. laughed and wiped her face down, then walked ahead of the pack as Amy and Colt stared each other down, getting why Punk may need to step up to the plate with A.J.

* * *

_Okay, so, about this rumor that A.J. and Booker T will be fired so someone else can run the brands. I mean, If they were going to do this, why did they even make them GMs in the first place. I honestly think Booker T deserved to be a GM and AJ's been so good that it's grown on me. But nothing last forever in the WWE, so if they are indeed fired, I hope it's someone just as entertaining...RIC FLAIR FOR GM! *cough* sorry, got carried away. So, I hope they keep the push on AJ and don't treat her like they treat Zack Ryder. That would be sooo rude. _

_I've been loving CM Punk as heel, Paul Heyman driving his car like a boss, A.J.'s unpredictable actions on RAW, John Cena getting hot and aggressive with Punk, Eve trying to be the A.J. in her situation with Layla and Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn 'accidental' push, Kane and Daniel=Hell No!, Sheamus' awkward yet funny and adorable segments, Ricardo in a neck brace, Randy Orton...well, you know how I feel about him, our unity as WWE fans when one of the team members falls in a tragic situation, and the Line up for Night of Champions, so I have not complaints...except Dolph isn't champ yet and Vickie's daughter looks like another lame Halloween version of GaGa on NXT (*like...why?*). _

_Story I've been waiting for an update on: Hard to Handle by JeanTheGuardian. If you haven't read it yet...I...What is wrong with you? Get to it! Think Twice is an awesome collabo with UnbelievinglyRandom and DemonicXaliv, and All Falls Down has a part two, so go read Starting At It by AmandaEchelon. _

_If anyone lives in the Tri-State NYC area, CM Punk and AJ will be at Ringside Fest 2012 at Caroline on Broadway in NYC October 20th. Tickets are going fast so if you want to get a photo and autograph with them, buy now! I'm going with the BFFs so I'm excited. _

_#EveIsHeadedToTheChapel, CMHeyman, Punklee, HellNo!forTagChamps, PushTysonKidd,GetwellLawler, icebabesfireLoveWhenSheBetas ForMe, THANKYOUALL!_

_Read and Review! Besos! _


	12. Papercuts Part 1

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

And if you don't remember the letter, you haven't been reading this story. Do it our I'm have the Primetime Players give you a lap dance.

My Summerslam has Kaitlyn v. Layla for the Divas, Kane v. Daniel and Punk v. John Cena v. the Big Show. Deal with it. *Grinning*. Enjoy.

* * *

**_ A.J. started walking the halls of the Staples center; hands tucked in her jeans pocket and she wore a confused frown on her face. Normally the area backstage would filled with the employees and athletes getting ready for the day ahead, but this time, the backstage area was completely empty. No catering table, makeup station, not even a sign to the McMahon office took up the space. No one was around and AJ was all alone._**

**_She yelled out into the halls, glancing around in fear and suspicious, and trying her best not to freak out about it. After turning her back again, this time, a little boy stood in the center of the hall. AJ stared back at him and as she walked closer to him, she noticed the stream of tears on the cheeks. The kid was small and slim, looked to be around the age of five or six. Then, she stopped completely in her tracks and the child ran into her, hugging her tightly and sobbing. The boy had big ears and was dressed in black shorts, Red Converse shoes and a small child size In Punk We Trust shirt. A.J. was staring at a younger Phil Brooks and it freaked her out._**

**_"He needs us." The little boy mumbled against her shirt and she kept looking around hoping to find someone to come out and help her. "Come on April."_**

**_"A.J!" she turned to the sound and couldn't find where it was coming from. The little boy was pulling her arm hard towards the corridor area, taking her pass a stream of unconscious bodies. She gasped once she saw Kaitlyn and Sheamus lying on the ground on top of one another, John was next to Eve in a pool of blood, and then Daniel was face down on the ground next to Colt and Brie. She screamed when she tripped over Amy, who had blood pouring from the open wound in the back of her head. The little boy helped her off the ground and she started to run with him. "A.J!"_**

**_The little boy pulled the curtain back to see Punk, fighting with a tall built individual on what looked to be the ring set for Raw. She then screamed when Punk was placed in a Kumari Lock, his body was locked and his arm pulled back by Drew Galloway. She ran down to the ring as fast as she could and slipped in, then stopped as Drew looked back at her, frowning and looking between her and the little boy. Shaking her head, she started to tear up and fell to her knees, crying with the little boy, "Drew, please…"_**

**_With a second to waste, he groaned and whispered, "I really don't want to do this A.J." And once he pulled back on Punk's arm, it snapped, breaking as Punk cursed out in pain. He stood up and grabbed her arms, shaking her and pulling himself closer as she screamed. "Talk to me A.J." she struggled as he hugged her tightly. "TALK TO ME! A.J.!"_**

* * *

Her eyes opened up and she jolted upward from her spot. She frantically glanced around the room to see Colt's foot sticking out a bunk outside the room, and an episode of Dragon Ball Z playing on the TV. AJ slowed her breathing down and ran her hands over her face and through her hair, frustrated over the nightmare that haunted her for months.

The dream would change when more people got involved. At first, it stopped at that youth size clone of Punk crying for help. Then, he was begging her to save Phil and lead her to people who helped her lying unconscious. Tonight however, watching Punk and Drew wrestle was new. Drew did not look angry, dangerous or vicious, but sad, regretful and apologetic when he begged for her attention. Something wasn't adding up. The universe was trying to tell her something, she just didn't know what it could be or why it would involve everyone.

She rose out of CM Punk's bed and threw on a pair of her sweats to go to the fridge, itching for a bottle of cold water that would help her relax a bit. The day of Summerslam finally arrived and she would be attending the show with Amy and Colt as a guest, not an employee. She would still get access backstage and she was nervous, she didn't know how everyone would react to her visit. It didn't scare her to be around people anymore, but knowing some of her coworkers would pity or judge her for her situation made her stomach churn nervously.

She sipped her water and decided to get off the bus for some fresh air, putting her badge on and placing her hair in a ponytail. She saw some of the employees working in the arena to set up with other buses parked next to theirs but the arena was still pretty empty and only a few superstars had arrived. She walked to the locker room area and saw someone in one of the rooms, punching and kicking a standing dummy. Breaking her lips for a small smile, she grabbed a water bottle from a catering table and slowly walked in to the room, watching Daniel Bryan punching away and practicing. He stopped once he saw her and laughed, patted the sweat away from his face before taking the bottle from her. "Hey Ape."

"Hey Bry. I would hug you but I know Brie gets first dibs." He chuckled with her as they both looked at the dummy.

"Punk gave me the okay on the dummy. He's outside on the phone with a radio station for his last media interview for the day. We didn't want to wake you earlier."

"That would explain the extra space I was tossing around in." She looked at her watch and frowned at the time. "It's five-thirty in the morning."

"I know. The gym at the hotel wasn't open. And I need the stretch out for my big Red ass kicking later." He glanced at her with high eyebrow as she tilted her head in amusement.

"You should have never 'committed' me into a mental hospital. He wouldn't have to defend my honor." She jeered with a huge smile and he snickered. "But, thanks for keeping me alive. I'm glad the WWE hasn't decided to get rid of me."

"Guess you heard about Sofia huh?" A.J. sighed when Daniel brought it up. She didn't know what was happening to the girls she spent time with for years, learning the same tricks and trades needed to get their careers started, who were now dropping like flies. She didn't want to be the next fly, sprayed with Raid and thrown in the trash like nothing. "That's not happening to you. You know that."

She nodded with a tight smile while looking at the dummy while he continued, punching and kicking it down. It was interesting to see Daniel, Eve and Punk use their MMA tricks and moves in the ring or during practice. She knows it takes years to perfect, but having the basics is a plus and a second language in pro wrestling skills. "You guys did a number on him."

"I know. It's a rental." He stopped kicking and looked down at her, panting over his workout. "So, let's try it out." She shook her head and he laughed, digging through a bag and pulling out a small pair of MMA gloves and hand wraps. "It's five in the morning and you're up. You need to relax. This will help."

"This won't end well." She kicked off her shoes and approached the floor mat, then took the gloves and as he wrapped her wrist up, she sighed, which was a sign for Daniel to lend his ears to her.

"So, what woke you up?" he asked as he finished it, watching her flex her hands before placing the gloves on her.

"You know, another day in dreamland." She snapped, watching him place aim mitts on his hands. "I've been having this weird nightmare that won't go away."

"About the attack?" Daniel asks quickly as she slumped her shoulders trying to relax. "What was it about?" she exhaled again and remembered what her dad used to tell her. When you dream a dream more than once, it's a platform for an event coming in your life. Maybe telling someone about it would make it easier on her.

* * *

"Thanks for having me Mark. Later man." He hung up and walked back to his locker room stretching, and then heard groaning and breathing that he knew came from Daniel. Peeking in the room, he snickered when he saw his petite brunette on the ground, pulling Daniel into a submission hold. With Daniel nodding, he cursed to himself once Brie walked in, yelling at A.J. and having Amy follow them out.

He noticed the move and could help but smile as he walked out. She was applying the Guillotine choke, a move that Daniel used to put many opponents away during his NWA run. She kept her shoulders off the matted ground and Daniel wasn't really screaming in pain, but for A.J. to apply more pressure.

"You two are crazy!" Brie yelled at A.J. as she kept the hold on. "You're going to knock him unconscious."

"That's the point honey. This isn't a hug, it's a choke hold." Punk said as they turned to him, watching him walk past to look at the move. After seeing Daniel's face get red (and not matter how entertaining this looked), he had to pull the plug. "Okay, that's enough April." She let go of Daniel's head and he gasped her air, getting a frown from A.J. as he reached up for Brie.

"Daniel was supposed to stop me guys." She huffed with her arms out in frustration.

"I…didn't….tap….out." he huffed out as Brie rubbed his head. "I said…wait…until I…" he snatched the bottle of water from nearby and guzzled it down, smiling at her and causing Brie to push him away with an attitude. "Tap out. You were supposed to make me tap out. And if this were a match, CM Punk would have cost you the Divas title via a distraction from outside the ring to a referee and your opponent would have set you up for their move and pinned you for the victory."

After letting it sink in, Brie nodded in agreement and Amy frowned in understanding. A.J. smacked Punk's chest and he flinched, rubbing it and pouting playfully at her. "I wanted him to tap. He said it was okay. I can handle myself better now! You know that." She yelled out in anger, taking her hair from the ponytail and tearing off the glove as she walked into the bathroom upset. He groaned and actually felt really bad, seeing how disappointed she was about losing her 'match'. Amy gave him a sarcastic 'good job' eye with a tight smile as he shrugged defensively, walking past her as he headed into the bathroom.

A.J stood up with her hands stretched across the sink counter, her backside poking out and her breathing causing her chest to rise. Once she ran her fingers through her hair to move her locks away, he got a good look at her face, seeing her show displeasure again. "I'm sorry for butting in Apple Jacks. I didn't know you were helping Daniel."

"It's the other way around and it's fine."

"He put you in that move?"

"No." she snapped, turning her back to face him. "He told me what to do and I copied it."

He pointed his finger to outside with a grin. "You _just_ learned that?"

"Yeap." She answered with a pop and titled her head with a bright smile for Punk. "Impressed?"

He nodded while bowing his head for a shy grin. "Honestly, I am. For Bryan to turn blue on any hold is impressive." She started beaming as Punk stood in front of her, placing his hands on both sides of the counter and facing her with the grin still on his face. "It was um…kind of sexy."

"Really?" she asked in a low voice as she glared in a cocky way. "Kind of?"

He snickered as she tucked her hair behind her ears innocently and traced her other finger along his arm slowly. "Sorry. It was awesome, but you already know that." Goosebumps immediately rose on his body as she kept her eyes on him and her nails on his tattoo trail. "The sun rises in twenty minutes. The roof of the Staples Center has an awesome view. Let's watch it."

"Just us?" the hint of hope and excitement made his heart speed up. He wasn't joking about this cheesy shit, because his dreamy side used the 'Let's be alone' suggestion to get laid. But for her, it was just to have time.

"Just us."

She nodded and pointed to the toilet. "I'll just need to use the bathroom. I'll meet you outside." he mouthed an okay as he walked out.

When he entered the room, he jumped to see Amy, Brie and Daniel all staring on with huge grins of their own. He gave the ceiling a hard blink, "How much of that did you hear?"

"Oh along with the stuff you said on the bus Thursday? It's enough to write a fanfiction about." Amy joked as Brie and Daniel snickered.

"Whatever. I'm going to hang with her for a bit. Don't alert the media." Brie and Amy placed a hand over their chest in awe, watching Punk walk away with a smile on his face and happy that he finally made a move.

"I'll be looking for the 'Punklee' fangirls when they mark about this." Punk frowned at the nickname Daniel used as he shrugged. "Hey man, I don't come up with it, I just laugh about it. I mean, there's CM-AJ, A.J. Punk, C.M. Lee, oh and _our _personal favorite…" he pointed to Brie who tilted her head with a smile.

"_OTP: I dig crazy chicks._" She chimed.

"I hope the birds in his beard don't crap in your mouth the next time you have sex." He chuckled out as AJ walked out, smiling at everyone and looking at Punk. "Ready?" she nodded and looked down at his extended hand to intertwine her fingers between his while they walked out, waving to everyone and looking happier than ever.

* * *

_Thirty minutes into Summerslam_

Colt was right. Dr. Grey was right. Hell, the WWE universe who voted for her to be with him at No Way Out was onto something. It was human nature for A.J to have feelings for him. From the look in his eyes, he had feelings for her as well, and was respecting her enough to wait for the right moment to act on it.

"So what happened? That was it?" Eve asked while sitting with Amy and Kelly Kelly, watching Kaitlyn's match with Layla on a locker room TV.

"Yeah. I mean, we joked around. But we talked mostly. Either way, it was …."

"Romantic."

"Special." Kelly blurted.

"That sounds like a cheesy 80s teen film." Amy chuckled out as Eve snapped her fingers and pointed to her with a smile.

"That's what I was thinking." A.J. agreed as Eve shook her head.

"But I agree. I'm happy it finally happened. Totally saw it coming."

"Yeah, just like I totally saw you sneaking into your room at four a.m. this morning." Eve's face froze as A.J. gasped with Amy. "Spill." Kelly poked her with a death stare.

"Oh…. We should watch Kaitlyn match, that can wait till later." Eve yelled while folding her arms and turning back to the match, totally avoiding the question as they continued to watch.

"C'mon Kait." AJ whispered as Kaitlyn went for the backbreaker in her match. It was championship match, and even if she wasn't set to win, the match itself was huge for Kaitlyn. This was the biggest match of her career. She needed to show her skills show everyone why she could be a future Divas' champion.

"Wow, she's really doing better in the ring." Eve said as they started to pay more attention. After Layla went for a running bulldog successfully, she quickly stopped and started wincing. While sitting on the mat, she started holding her glitter-braced knee, the one she injured and repaired a year ago, in pain. "That doesn't look good."

"She's not selling that is she?" Tamina asked as all the divas started watching eagerly. "Why isn't he calling off the match?" A.J. shrugged as the ref kept checking on her. She just shook her head and limped up to continue the match. Kaitlyn stood up and Layla went to kick her down, but Kaitlyn quickly caught her leg, reversing it with a clothesline. She then executed her Bodyscissors move, but this time, turning Layla over and pinning her. A.J. and Eve looked shocked as the ref was able to successfully count to three. A.J. screamed in excitement as Kaitlyn kneeled on the ring floor, holding her jaws and face with both her hands through her hair as the shining butterfly belt was handed to her.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Kelly asked as she clapped it up with the rest of the shocked Divas in the room.

"I don't think so." Natalya said, laughing as Eve shrugged. Kaitlyn celebrated in the ring, leaving Layla in shock and still holding her knee in pain outside. Kaitlyn even stopped celebrating to see if she was okay, but after Layla clearly showed she wasn't, she cut her own celebration short by leaving the ring and giving Layla a hand, lending her shoulder to help her friend to the back.

* * *

"Why would I want to do this?"

"Because the match revolves around her and to just have the match would be boring. Plus, it will show her how the fans really feel about her absence."

Stephanie looked up to her husband, who just looked bothered and stressed out. He has to get in the ring later with that freak of nature Brock Lensar, and he already got his father in laws voice in his ear about the booking issues. Now, he's being approached by Daniel Bryan and CM Punk with about a way to save their girlfriend. He did hope for A.J. returns. He was already in enough heat for the rumors on the Divas being aimed to kill by him for the Tag Teams, having her back would help him get on good graces. But doing what they wanted him to do today wasn't a bright idea for it. "I think this is just going to pressure the situation."

"What pressure? Creative planned to have Kane go off the deep end when Daniel beats him. Why not have the match be stopped for forty seconds while her music plays?" Punk argued.

"Time is overblown, I had to make the Divas match a seven minute upset and cut the Clay/Sandow just so Vince would get off productions ass."

"Paul please, she's thinking of leaving." Daniel mentioned that and Stephanie's eyes widened while Hunter glared even harder. "Relax, she's not talking to anyone, but she might leave to train somewhere else, and if we don't show her value, she might stay there."

"The match will end the same way but just place the song and halt it." Punk included.

Stephanie ran her hands over her hair and Hunter sighed, finally nodding in agreement and looking at them. "Fine. Can it be done?"

Stephanie shook her head while looking at the script. "Um…. Okay. I'll set it up."

Punk nodded. "Thanks guys."

"Yeah, it better fucking end the right way or you'll have a right hand from the Big Show tomorrow." She yelled while walking away with Hunter, and leaving the two next to Punk's locker room.

"You really think it'll work?" Daniel asked.

"I hope so. Colt told me she already reached out to WWC."

"Whoa, in Puerto Rico?" He nodded and Daniel shook his head. "Why there?"

"I think my best friend is helping out way too much and A.J wants to be like her role model, so she'll do anything to get better, including following in Amy's footsteps."

"Hopefully, nothing like that happens." Daniel scoffed out while walking towards the curtain, headed to his match with Kane and leaving Punk thinking.

"Hopefully is right."

* * *

"Amy!" Sheamus ran up to her when she walked out the locker room, having her small smile disappear once she saw how upset he was. "I thought ya stuffed that letter back in da bag."

"I did. You're black gym duffle you came to the house with." He wiped his forehead off while Amy just frowned in confusion.

"Ya sure?" she nodded as he shook his head. "It's not there."

Amy looked petrified once he said that. "I… who else had a black bag? It was Nike and had…." She froze once she remembered what was sticking out the bag, and how rushed she was to leave the house with all of them before the game that she regrets not paying attention to it until now. "Fuck."

"Any reason why they would make you watch?" Derrick asked as watched Daniel and Kane go at it. The match was already five minutes in and Kane was dominating the match.

She fixed her glasses while shaking her head. "Daniel just told me to watch. I don't know why."

Nine minutes go by and Stephanie walked in the room to see A.J. watching with everyone. She hadn't seen her since the hospital stay and it was kind of relieving to see her back, even if it wasn't full time. She was also rooting for her return. No diva in the back had the passion to be here like she did, and it remind her of a certain girl who grew up loving this family business and now had a major role in it.

"Enjoying the show?" she asked while walking up to them, seeing A.J. smile as she took the empty seat next to her.

"Yeah, it's been really good. Not sure if Daniel's enjoying this match though." After Daniel slaps Kane, they all wince, knowing that he just canned his victory.

"I think he will." Stephanie chimed while a small smirk and A.J. frowned with Derrick in confusion.

"Why would…." Just as Kane was about to go for a choke slam, music blared from the speaker and the titantron reeled a video. Kane stopped grasping Daniel's throat and turned to the entrances as Daniel's eyes went wide with fear. Everyone just gets on their feet and starts cheering, chanting 'crazy chicks', making Daniel crazy as he counters a no scream, waving no at everyone and stomping around the ring while Kane just waits for someone to come down.

A.J. couldn't believe what was happening. Not only were people cheering and jeering Daniel, but they were cheering to her theme song. They wanted her to come out. Even though she'd been away for two months, she still got a reaction. She didn't know whether to cry or run out there. But after the music when off, Daniel faced the entrance and leaned over the ropes with a pissed off look, then turned to have Kane slam his hands around his neck, which he executes, but as he goes for a pin, Daniel locks him in and rolls him into a pin. After getting the 3 count, Daniel quickly runs out and runs up ramp leaving an irate Kane in the ring.

"What the hell…." Stephanie held up her hand and pointed to the screen for them to keep watching.

* * *

_"WHERE IS SHE! A.J.! A.J!" Daniel kicks a trash can and flips a cart while running through the area. He's huffing yelling while everyone looks at him in confusion. "Where is she?! I had you sent away! How did you get out! A.J.!"_

_"Daniel!" Booker T and Teddy Long came with a few refs to calm Daniel down as he shook his head is anger. "Daniel! Calm down man."_

_"I know she's here! Where is she? How did she get out?"_

_"She's not here man. The Tech guy must have messed up. But Daniel, you need to chill out player." Teddy spoke up, but Daniel quickly grabbed his jacket and spat out in anger._

_"She almost cost me that match! She's not supposed to be here! NO!" The yes chants are still going on and Daniel starts screaming no in Teddy's face as everyone tried to pull him off of Teddy. Booker T yells for him to calm down as he keeps going as they turn on a small commercial._

* * *

"I don't understand." A.J. finally spoke as Stephanie stood up, wearing a huge smile after witnessing the reaction.

"I do. The fans have a new favorite. When you come back, those reactions will be normal, maybe even louder. But you have to put in the work to make it happen." She looked A.J. in the eyes, nodding and mouthing enjoy before she walked away, leaving A.J. with her last thought.

"That was pretty cool." Derrick said. "A reaction like that hasn't happened in a while for a diva."

A.J. turned back to the TV and bit her lip. It was a huge wake up call. People actually liked her, and since it had a lot to do with her character, it would have been louder and better if her in ring moves were impressive. If she proceeded on as another great wrestling diva, they would love her.

It's what she's dreamed of since she was a teenager, and people didn't think she belonged in the WWE. If she left to train and returned with a kick ass fresh attitude and moves, no one would underestimate her. No one would see her as weak. No one would think she needed protection.

What happened tonight made her decision easier to make.

Kaitlyn walked towards the locker room, getting a round of applause and pats on the shoulder from the divas as she entered. She couldn't get over her win and was over the moon. Hopefully Sheamus wins his match so they could celebrate together. She giggled to herself at the thought of her and Sheamus talking and seeing one another again. Being around him lately has calmed her nerves and made her feel so much better about everything that happened in the last two months. Sheamus was a great person to talk to, witty most of the time, and was the perfect gentleman. But most of all, she could tell him anything and feel secure about it or not be judged by him for it. She could official trust him, which was a feeling she needed to have in order to move on to the next step if he wanted to.

She opened her garment bag for her dress and then dug for her shoes in her gym bag. After finding one shoe, she spotted something next to her make-up bag and frowned. Looking around to see some of the girls still talking and getting dressed, she slowly pulled the paper from the bag and read the writing.

She felt her stomach turn when she noticed the handwriting and who it was addressed to. It started to hurt her heart when she realized who it was from. Only one person had access to this letter before her. A million thoughts began to surface into her brain as she read it. When was it written? Why did Drew write it? And why wasn't it handed to A.J. as soon as he got it? The thought of him not telling her about it hurt Kaitlyn even more.

"Kait!" She jumped while she turned around, having Tamina snap back a bit with a chuckle. She took a deep breath and kept an exhausted look on. "Whoa. You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah T, I'm cool just…" She turned back to stuff the envelope in her makeup bag and pick it up, smiling at Tamina nervously. "Just a little high with energy still."

"Can't blame you there. You did great. And now, everyone is going to be looking out for you on the road to Night of Champions."

"I know." She looked at the bag and licked her lips, thinking of what to do with the letter. Giving it to AJ wasn't the best thing to do here, but after the event, she had to let her best friend know what was going on. She blinked while Tamina laughed. "I'm sorry. I just…I think Layla has been stealing my eyeliner." Tamina raised an eyebrow and Kaitlyn quickly searched for a better excuse. "You know how much we've been pranking each other and I'm hygienic when it comes to makeup so, can you just hide this in your bag until the event is over?"

Tamina nodded with a slight look of confusion while Kaitlyn handed it to her. "I'll keep it safe, but you owe me."

"Thanks." After they hugged it out and Tamina put the bag in her locker. As Kaitlyn tried to hold back tears she threw on a shirt to cover her gear and walked out the locker room, on the way to look for the person or people that kept this from her best friend.

* * *

**I love a good cliff hanger don't you? No? I think you'll hate me after this. You will...please don't throw that chair or ladder that your glaring at. Please don't. I promise, it apart of a super master plan to get them together. Let's just hug it out until the next chapter. So #Hug it out in the reviews if you agree.**

**I think I've giving a plug to all my favs. Not Yet Over by DemonicXaliv, More Than Words and Think Twice by UnbelievinglyRandom, Games We Play by MyChaosTheory, Hard to Handle by Jean-theGuardian, and Starting It All by AmandaEchelon. Another non-PunkAJ story I've been reading is titled One for the crown by stainedheart. It's Diva-centric on the woman of WWE past and present and its the inspiration for how Amy fits in the story, which is going to be huge. Everyone should kiss icebabesfire's hand for helping me cause this story would be awful if it wasn't for her.**

**I'll see you all three weeks. Headed to the UK to which big sister marry one awesome international dude. And I'm on supportive bridesmaid duty...and I'll be sightseeing in between. I'll be watching Raw from a country house in Bristol when it's like 3 am in the UK so if you wanna chat, hit the tumblr page! And don't forget to review after reading!**

**Besos***


	13. Papercuts Part 2

Okay so, I'm still here in the beautiful Queen's land. The wedding is happening this Saturday and I look like a chocolate covered peach in this dress. either way, I'm having fun and I've been watching Raw online to chance up with you all! :) Thanks to my BBs DemonicXaliv and UnbelievinglyRandom for reviewing. And to the homie icebabesfire for making my story readable and look- as Honey Boo Boo would call it- _Cute! (I do like that show. Don't judge me.)_

I was a bit upset at the amount of reviews. But Tuesday, someone came banging on my hotel door. And as I slowly opened the door, his heavy, excessive breathing freaked me out. After like 10 minutes of being glared upon, he was all 'Post It MORE!'. So I backed away, tripped into my chair and opened the laptop. Ryback's not saying anything now, but I guess he likes the story. Do you like the story? If so, please review.

P.S: Please don't hate me. It will get better. Trust me.

* * *

"What the _fuck _do you mean you lost it?!"

"Punk-"

"Fuck that! Do you know how fucked we are if she does have it!" Punk kicked a bin in his locker room, causing Eve, Daniel and John to jump as Colt, Amy and Kofi tried to explain what happen. He huffed out in anger when they told him and had been freaking out ever since. "You know how A.J. felt as the victim, so you can imagine how Kaitlyn feels as the person who found her that night."

"I know…"

"No! Fuck Amy, _you don't_!" Amy snapped back as Punk just kept going. "She walked in on something from a sick, shitty horror film. The only real friend, the closest thing to a best friend in the company, was lying naked, battered and bruised alone in the room. And you're telling me that Kaitlyn may or may not find the letter from the fucking attacker!"

"Phil!" Colt yelled while pushing Punk back from Amy's face, "Chill the fuck out. She's trying to help us."

"By what? By literally fucking up everything I've been doing for the last two months and pushing her away?" Amy frowned in disgust as Phil shrugged with a mean glare. "You wanna fight with me about it? Did you learn how to win an argument properly while training in a different country too? Cause I'm sure A.J. would _love _to learn that."

"Phil, that's enough!" Eve stepped in this time and shoved him with her hand. "It was an honest mistake. And we sent Layla to the locker room to find it. If it's not there, then we just find her and talk Kaitlyn out of it."

"She's right man. Chances are she didn't get to the locker room yet. Sheamo's match is on so she might be watching." Kofi argued.

Layla walked in and stopped dead in her tracks, staring back all the worried and eager eyes in the room. She didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, but when she shook her head frowning, the reactions in the room reached an all-time high and seeing Punk's reaction saddened her the most.

"I need to find April and tell her the truth now, before this gets worse. Shit!" Punk kicked another bin before yanking the door open and bolting out.

"Punk!" he turned to see Daniel running after him and walking with him. "I know this is bad to ask right now, but are you sure that was the right thing to do? Calling Amy in?" Punk frowned. Daniel quickly shook his hands in defense. "I mean, if you and Amy were dating, I think A.J. would be hurt once you told her so. You've made her happy by staying by her side. But, she's still fragile and we want her to be able to move on slowly with someone else when she's ready."

Punk stopped walking and blinked rapidly in disbelief. "Ten years, Bryan Danielson. You've known me ten years and yet, you have no confidence in me."

Daniel fumbled over the words to rebuttal before coming up with an answer. "I just thought you and Amy were getting back together."

"I…." he raised a hand and shook his head again. "Amy and I are not dating. We're just friends." Daniel tilted his head while Punk looked around. "My heart isn't with her anymore." Daniel started to smile and Punk nodded. "AJ has to stay here in the states. I need her here." Daniel nodded as Punk patted his back. "But I get it. We're all worried about her and…I_ appreciate_ the concern."

Daniel playfully gave him an impressive stare. "What is this? Are you _thanking _me? Wow, there really must be some blizzard going on in hell or something."

"Shut up." Punk shoved him lightly and they laughed it off, "I'm just glad to see you on my side."

"I'm on the right side. April needs the support. Especially with that nightmare she's been having."

Punk frowned. "She told you about that?" Daniel nodded and that bothered him a bit. A.J. never told him much about what she saw since she never finished it through.

"Yeah, she said the end really freaked her out. It was something about everyone involved being dead around her, you and Drew fighting, and he injures you." Punk snapped back in shock as Daniel nodded. "Yeah I know. She said the weirdest thing about it was having Drew screaming at her to talk to her."

That sent alerts of worry to Punk. "What? She did?"

"Yeah, like he was asking for attention or…"

"Begging for her to see him." Punk ran his hand over his hair and huffed. "Shit. I should have banked on that."

"Why? Is that what the letter…."

"Phil!" A stage hand ran over and handed him a card. "Change in order. You're on after the Heavyweight match."

Daniel frowned as Punk glared at his clock. "What happened to after the performance?"

"Change of plans. Vince's orders." she yelled and Punk kicked a crate in anger.

"You guys need to find one of them." Punk shook his head while looking around again. "I just fucked up man. If she finds it, we're all fucked."

* * *

"Hey." Sheamus stood with a smile as Kaitlyn approached him. She placed her hands on her hips and nodded towards the crowd awaiting him as Alberto Del Rio made his way down the ramp. "Glad I caught you on time."

"Yea, I mean, I might not be as good as you tonight but, I'll settle fer second best." He pointed to the belt and she blushed with her head bowed. Then he grabbed her hands slowly, which sent that daily tingling chill she gets with him. "I don't want to rain on your parade but…I need to tell ya something."

"I do too. But it can wait…"

"No, it can't." he cut her off as the producer tapped his clock. "When I went to visit Drew, he gave me a letter for AJ and we don't want her to read it until she's ready." Kaitlyn just stood quiet, feeling the heaviness in her heart disappear as she exhaled. "I know yer mad at me for not telling ya when I got it but I didn't want ya to-"

Kaitlyn beamed as she placed her hands on his cheek and kissed him, without wasting a second of time. She didn't know what came over her at that moment. Either she was really relieved he didn't try and lie to her, or she didn't think the words good luck were enough for him. But she didn't care who was watching. She felt so turned on by his confidence, his honesty and his kindness that giving him a huge wet one seemed to be the only gratitude she could show.

"Stephen!" they broke apart slowly to see the producer yelling with her hands in the air, upset that he wasn't at curtain and on que. Kaitlyn blushed as Sheamus nodded, mouthing sorry and placing a quick kiss on Kaitlyn cheek before exiting to the ramp. She squealed as he made his entrance, grinning widely and rubbing her lip with her fingers. She still didn't know the whole story with the letter, but hiding it until she got a clear explanation weighted on her brain now.

Well, the fact that she just planted a kiss on the lips of the World Heavyweight champ and her crush weighted a lot more on her brain, and her heart. And it was the best feeling in the world.

* * *

"Hey, April." A.J. hugged the second generation Snuka when she walked into the locker room. "You just missed Kait, she ran out for a second."

A.J. rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I told her I would meet her back here after the match. She's so hardheaded."

Tamina shrugged while seating down, giving A.J. a view of Kaitlyn's Koala Bear print makeup bag. "She left me with her bag and I have to get ready for the performance."

"Well, I'm here so I'll just watch her stuff and wait till she gets back."

"Really?" A.J. nodded as Tamina quickly passed it to her and stood up. "Thanks, my Dad will kill me if I don't say hi to him." She walked out waving as A.J. sat next to Kaitlyn's suitcase on the ground. She decided to use her best friend provisions to open the bag and look for the mirror to check her minimal make-up. Punk's match was coming up and even though she would just be next to tech with Amy and Colt to watch, she still wanted to look good for him after the match.

She noticed the white envelope that blocked everything and pulled it out in annoyance, not looking at it and putting in next to her lap. After finding the mirror and using one of Kaitlyn many old school Smackers lip balms, she reached for the papers to stuff it back in innocently.

However, the black ink that bolded out her name with a to and Drew with a from completely made her heart fall to her stomach.

For a moment, her thoughts ran rapid. She couldn't even believe she was holding something like this in her hand. Drew wrote her a letter. And for some reason, Kaitlyn had it hidden from her. Why? And mostly, how did Kaitlyn get this? Who gave it to her?

"April…" she snapped her head to the voices and saw Amy in a panic frame with Eve, who looked petrified of what they were seeing. A.J. slowly stood up, holding the letter and not saying a word as Amy approached her. "Honey, we need to talk."

"Yeah Amy, we do." A.J. nodded, tucking the letter in her pocket as she stormed past them, "Not now. Punk is up next." She let the door slam violently behind her before Amy followed her out, matching her pace and looking around the watching eyes. Once they reached the curtain to the tech station, Amy pulled April's arm to face her.

"Kaitlyn had nothing to do with this. Honestly, she probably found it and went off to look for you to tell you or looking for Stephen. I don't know but don't blame her please." A.J. just stared at her as the Big Show's music hit from the outside. "We found out about the letter Friday from Stephen and we wanted to tell you but we thought having you read it now would hurt-"

April couldn't tell if she was A.J. or April at the moment. Because A.J., the heartbroken unstable geek from New Jersey that still loves Daniel Bryan, kisses Kane for fun and looks awesome in a cut custom CM Punk shirt, is the one who acts unstable. So when her right hand flew openly across the face of her idol, she didn't care if April was upset or if A.J. was raging out for her. She just knew it would make Amy shut up, and it was a way to express how she felt about this lie coming to light.

As Amy slowly turned her head to A.J., she didn't say anything else. She only stared at her with a hard glare, yet A.J. could see some regret and pity in her eyes. "I don't ever want to be reminded that you, or anyone else for that matter, knew about this, and didn't say one word to me about it." she said, her words with a lace of malice and a gloomy, shaky voice. Amy looked away and bowed her head at the demand. "The fact that you all talked about it among yourself and left me out of it just makes me want to vomit. So please don't _ever _bring it up again." With that, A.J. pulled back the curtain and walked over to Colt, wiping what was left of her tears as she took a seat.

Amy didn't say much to Colt once the match started, and A.J. didn't say much of anything while the match was going on. It stayed that way the entire match and when Punk pinned the Big Show for the victory, A.J. didn't wait for him to celebrate and abruptly left in a hurry. Colt looked at Amy, and the look of regret in her frown told him that shit just completely took a left turn. And that they we're going to have to do some serious recalculating to get this trip en route again.

* * *

Punk got backstage and shook his body down to relax. That was a really tiring match and his ribs were killing him. After the trainers checked on him, he walked out to see Amy and Colt standing outside.

"Hey." He said, still out of breath and wiping the sweat from his face with a towel. "I won you guys. Look happy."

"You looked great out there as always man." Colt looked at Amy, who had her hand on the cheek A.J. left her mark on. He sighed while running his hand through his short curls, and that made the smile on Punk's face to form a frown.

"Where's A.J.?"

"Punk, she's talking to Sheamus and Kaitlyn…about the note." Amy said, which caused Punk to inhale sharply, knowing what was on his mind the entire match happened to be true. "We walked in on her finding it. I tried to talk to her but she's really upset that we didn't tell her about it…"

"No shit." Punk walked away and moved his feet as if his belt was being stolen. Once he reached Sheamus' locker room, his fist beat on the door rapidly. "A.J.! I know you're in here." He waited but didn't hear a thing or still saw Sheamus' name in his face. He frowned while banging on the door, this time not stopping until it opened.

"Stop it." Kaitlyn said, closing the door behind her as she walked out. She kept her back against the door and held the door knob, looking into Punk's eyes with a little malice in the stare. "She didn't read her letter from Drew. She didn't read the letter her attacker wrote for her. A letter that CM Punk and everyone else she trusted kept from her. She's talking to Sheamus about it now so please leave them alone." She snapped as Punk turned to see Amy, Colt and John all standing around. Daniel trailed in with Eve next to him. He turned back to Kaitlyn's cold stare and she huffed. "Honestly, I can understand why you did it, but you shouldn't have done it."

"What should I have done then Celeste? Tell me, since I'm so wrong for wanting her to be completely over it before she read it."

Kaitlyn laughed with her hands in the air and her head shaking. "This is the problem. She needs someone to help her be stronger and encourage her to move on, not some wannabe anti-hero who sees her as his weak, mental case, fucked up, damsel in distress."

"Kaitlyn…" Before Punk could continue, the door was opened by the pale Irishman, who looked upset as he ran his hands over his now wet red hair. "What happened?"

Sheamus took Kaitlyn by the shoulders and nodded inside with a light frown. "She wants to tell you herself. Alone."

Punk didn't waste any time charging in and entering the room. Once the door shut behind him, A.J. just sat in a chair, twirling the letter in her hands and looking at it. He pulled a chair and placed it in front of her, sitting with her until she was ready to speak.

It took a while but she turned her eyes to him with tears streaming. She sighed while wiping her tears away and shook the letter with disgust. "You didn't want to tell me about this. But you told everyone it was here."

"April, it's not like that…"

"Then what's it like Phil." She shot up defensively, looking down at him with a frown on her face. "I mean…Amy? And Colt? You guys _discussed _not telling me?"

"No. Daniel didn't know and neither did Eve or John. Sheamus just told us a few days ago because he didn't know what to do…"

"You should have told him it was fine." she ran her hand through her hair in annoyance. "You should have told him that knowing this was here would be a peace of mind for me. You should have backed me up…" she began to choke on her tears and Punk just looked apologetic. "Or you should have told me it was around. Or that I'm allowed to visit Drew."

His eyes frowned at her with surprise as he stood up. "Who…"

"David is my lawyer counselor for the case. He's required to tell me things that relate to the progress of his sentence." she sighed. "And…I'm going to see him."

Punk frowned in a piteous form quickly as she shook her head. "April no."

"No, Phil. I have to do this. I need too. Because I want to be better and stronger than everyone. I have to start believing in myself again. I need to start loving myself." She started to scream and Punk reached out for her, feeling slightly offended when she retorted herself away from his grasp for the first time. "I need to go home for a while."

"A.J. c'mon. Don't… Look, I know it was wrong of me to not inform you but…leaving me to be alone isn't the answer. I…" he laughed nervously as he struggled to talk. "I want you here. I _want _you. I won't over shield you or lie to you anymore, and I will do everything in my power to make sure you get better. You know that." He pointed to himself with his hands, hoping she would see how much her choice was affecting him.

"I know you can but, I just need to do things on my own. I want to try new things on my own." He shook his head and she shrugged, really having an easier way to say how she felt. "So I found a school to train with in Mexico." His face remained dazed after that. "I want to take it."

"No!" he snapped and growled, running his hands over his hair as she jumped in fear. "April, don't try and stick it to me by leaving the country."

"This isn't about you!"

"Then what? Why? We have a ton of places you can learn skills from in the US. The WWE owns one! Daniel can teach you. Eve and even Amy offered to teach you some of her tricks, hell, I'll take all the time in the world to show you more! So stay there!"

She sighed and started to glare harshly at him. "Why aren't you respecting this?" she shook her head and pouted her lips with an anger frown. "You know, I know they saw me as pathetic, and now I know you agree with them." she hurled the letter in his face and he flew by, hitting the ground as he looked on in anger. "Keep the damn letter. Hell, maybe you and Amy can read it and tell it as a horror story around the fucking campfire. I don't need it." She headed for the door and bolted out, but having him hot on her tail.

"A.J.!" he ran after her and passed everyone on the way, seeing her head for the parking lot and to his bus. Once she got on broad, she started to look for her stuff and pack. He entered, pointing for the driver to step out as he entered the room and grabbed her. "April, _Stop_! Please, just stop for one fucking minute!" he yelled out and she froze, looking at him in anger as he sat her down on the bed.

"I would miss you." He blurted out after a brief moment of silence between them and she sat still waiting for him to say more. "If you left to go and do whatever you need to do, or wanted to do, just so you can get better, it would make me very upset." He knew she noticed this look of rawness and strain in his eyes. He gave her that soft glance after his first stay by her side in the hospital. It was a caring, sensitive look that she was so uncomfortable about getting from other people, but made her feel exceptional, calm and protected whenever he did it. "But, I would respect it. I want what's best for you April."

"Why?" she asked as he frowned. While taking a hand and caressing his arm, it brought him closer to her and forced a reaction of his own, placing his arm around her waist softly.

"I want what's best for you cause…" he bit his lip and shook his head, not believing how nervous he was to tell a woman how he felt. This was high school shit. He wasn't the type to hold in his feelings about anything. His ROH version of himself would smack him in the head and yell for him to man up, like Colt did verbally yesterday.

Then again, Punk, who is now wearing bigger pants these days, talked the talk and backed it up every night. Now was the perfect time to show and proved how he feels about her. "I care for you." He blurted out and she tightens her lips together, forcing her tears on and bringing a small smile to her lips. "I care about you so much, that if shit happens to you again when you're gone, I myself might go a little crazy April." He licked his lips and inched his face closer to hers, keeping that eye lock still and watching her wait for something to happen.

"Phil…" before she could object, his lips connected with hers, causing her eyes to tighten in astonishment and her hands to raise to his neck in order to push him away before he pulled away in horror and regret. However, once he kept his gentle hold on her, enveloping her small frame into his arms and inhaling her scent in one huge breath, she realized this wasn't a mistake. Phil Brooks aimed to kiss her and still had his lips on hers. So she wrapped her hands on his biceps, and what was a sweet, innocent kiss became lengthy, deep, and passionate. His lip ring was rubbing against her strawberry balm covered lips and their tongues starting to roll in a matchup of their own. This was Phil Brooks showing April Mendez exactly how much he cared about her.

After minutes passed, she pulled away slowly as he followed suit, looking in a daze while A.J. just stared and took slow breaths. "I will always be here for you."

"I know." She muttered, pressing her forehead against his with shut eyes. "Just…don't keep anything from me ever again."

"I promise." He bit his lip once he realized what was happening. "So…you're really going?" she nodded and he pulled away to look back, hiding his anger with a tight frown. "Then…at least wait until tomorrow. Before we leave for Fresno, I'll put you on the first flight home."

"Really?"

"I did say I would support and respect you. This is what you want and, as much as it kills me to have you go, I'm sticking by my words. Just stay one more night."

"Okay."

"So, let's just go watch the main event and celebrate with Kaitlyn after okay?" she nodded and he kissed her forehead, this time longer than normal.

"Do you mind if we lay down a bit?" she said with a small frown. "_Your_ match was the main event and I've kinda had a long night."

"Anything you want babe." he caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes, having one more tear come out. He quickly rubbed it away and after planting another quick kiss on her lips, she kicked of her shoes and climbed into the bed, curling up in his sheets as he closed the door behind. He was still in his wrestling gear and just stripped them off, climbing in with her and pulling her back into his chest, feeling her body spoon against him.

He wanted to trap her here, stop her from leaving, and just show her how he could love her until she loved herself instead. But he was done holding her back. He cared about her so much that he was willing to watch her go and find herself. He was doing what he could to make her smile and giving her a reason to return. Hopefully, it worked.

* * *

August 20th, 2012

LAX, Los Angeles ,CA

"You alright?" Sheamus asked as he sat next to Kaitlyn. She just stared out the window of the bus silently, watching her only real friend in the WWE, the girl she started out with in Tampa as her kick butt fun partner and followed to NXT and Smackdown, with the perfect passion and drive to compete in the WWE full time, turn her back to them as she entered LAX with Punk carrying her bags alongside her. "You can go in there if you want…"

"No." she quickly snapped as she wrapped her arms around herself, not caring if Colt, Amy, Kofi or Sheamus saw her cry like a Mom leaving her newborn for the first time. "This fucking blows."

"It's not for a long time…"

"I know. I just…wish it wasn't like this for her. She has to run away from us to find herself and it sucks."

"I feel so bad about all this." Amy muttered and Colt sighed. "I thought I was helping and it _totally_ backfired."

"I don't think so." Kofi said with a small frown. "You guys are too worried. This might help her."

"Yeah, I mean, she wouldn't be going if she was still afraid. Maybe she's stronger than we think." Colt agreed.

"Only time will tell." Sheamus said as he reached for Kaitlyn, getting a soft look before she laid her head on his chest. "She'll be fine _álainn_."

"I hate that she's leaving _him_ this way."

Amy and Colt both looked at one another after she said that. They were so concerned with A.J. that they never thought about Punk's state of mind in all this.

They all turned to the door of the tour bus as it opened and saw how quiet Punk looked as he walked on. He glanced at everyone with a blank, cold stare and walked passed them to the back. "She said she'll call when she lands in Tampa." he said while picking up his comic book and head phones.

"Punk, I'm…"

"No Amy, I really don't want to hear anything you have to say. No disrespect, but you've done enough. You got what you wanted. She's going to become a new PG era copy of you." he snapped harshly while slamming the cabinet door shut. "_You _got what you wanted." he stressed out while placing the headphones over his ear.

"You alright man?" Kofi asked.

He snickered at the question and shook his head. "You know, hearing someone ask that question when you're not really happy _does_ sound annoying after a while." he took his cap off and entered his bedroom, "The answer 'no, but I will be' makes more sense now than it ever has." he closed the door, which told everyone he didn't want to be bothered.

"Well, she might get stronger. What about him?" Kaitlyn asked as they all stayed silent, wondering what the next few months will be like for both A.J. and Punk, and how everything would mend on its own.


	14. I'm Coming Home

I'm back! And to all my NJ/NY people, I'm glad the worst is over and now we need to stay strong and get back on track after Sandy stomped around on us like Ryback missed his breakfast or dinner or what ever he calls his 6th meal of the day. I'm at my Boyfriends house because I've spent 3 days in the dark...not a good time.

Notes on Raw at the end. I own nothing by a copy of The Best in the World.

JeantheGuardian to added me to his new community PunkleeNation. So check it out to filter out all the bd AJ/Cena fics from you internet history. We are high in numbers as a ship so we need to kept the numbers strong. I am working on a game, like fantasy draft for the Divas championship that revolves around the out come of this story. You in? Lets me a message and I will send all the details.

Also, New favorite this time: Hate this Place by Kelzo85, ugh, pure angst and sex and murder and evil bad guys...I Love It! Also, there's a one shot mutlichapter XxPunkleexX story call the The ABCs of Punklee...check it out! So, here we go. Entering the time warp and going four months ahead as AJ makes her way back to us. Enjoy! And happy after Punktober!

* * *

NXT Wrestling, Tampa, FL

November 9th 2012

Joey Mercury walked into his office and groaned in annoyance as the stack of yellow folders hit his desk. He really couldn't complain about his job with the development roster, since it was the last chance the company gave him to work for them, but man did he really need to hurl a chair sometimes. His work was never done, and it's moments like this that proves why. While scanning through the folders, he started to smile at the talents picked to work on Smackdown for the winter, happy to see the good ones get a push.

But one photo set caught his eye and made him frown in confusion. The girl sent to battle Paige in a dark match surprised him. With a quick pick up, he dialed Bill DelMott's extension to the man who might have made this happen.

"_Yello!"_

"Bill, this is Joey. Since when did April Mendez need rehearsal ring time? I thought she took a sabbatical."

"_Since the ink on her new five year contract dried on Hunter's desk yesterday, her leave is done. Dusty said Hunter wants her to tune up before December 18__th__."_

He sat back in shock while reading the back of her new photo shot. He remembers April Mendez from her first day. She was passionate and had the drive to compete in this business like few others. He also remembered what happened to her months ago on the road and how his great friend CM Punk helped her pull through a little bit. She changed completely and now her skills have extended into a longer list since she last appeared here. "She went to Mexico?"

"_And Puerto Rico, but she finally asked to come back. She should be arriving in the states now. Guess she's ready to show and prove."_

He looked at his iPhone and wondered, '_Does he even know?_' A lot has happened since August and since he's close to the guy she works with, he figured he would want to know about the girl he's close with. "Thanks man, I'll get this to Dusty." After hanging up, he ran a hand over his bald head and dialed Punk through his cell phone, only to get a voice mail. Since the RAW brand had an overseas tour, the WWE champ would be busy getting ready to put on a show. But this couldn't wait.

* * *

Casa Adela, New York, NY 6:56 pm

"_Hey April. Give me a call when you get this. I just want to talk…seeing as we haven't talked in a while. I'm worried about you. So, I'll be waiting Apple Jacks. Later."_

"Punk must be very worried about you if he keeps calling. Knowing you, it means you haven't talked to him." A.J.'s sister Rose chimed as she saw who her latest phone call was from. "We're eating. You're not that busy to answer it."

"_Y un cuerno!" *Like hell!*_ When her brother's wife Elena pushed the phone down, making A.J. laugh as they ate dinner. "I didn't close up the spa early and hire some teeny bopper to watch her get mushy with her TV boyfriend. I came to drink, eat and jam to a band in concert. This is her first night back."

"Lena's right. I'll talk to him later." she tucked her phone away and shrugged. Punk continued to call, text and bother on twitter. And normally she would jump to answer, but she didn't. It was her first night out back in the U.S, and she wanted to celebrate the wild ride her life had taken in the last four months.

She did everything there was to do on her break. Besides learning new skills in Mexico and how girls her size should wrestle in Puerto Rico, she found places there that host MMA classes. It was a great form of self-defense and a huge confidence boaster. Along with doing her therapy over the phone, remaining active on her twitter with her fans, posting photos and talking about everything WWE, and simply have a great experience by going out and having fun again with the great people she met, the communication between her and Punk got lost.

"Did you at least tell him you were back?" Rose asked as they continued to eat, getting an eye roll in return. "April, you're being ridiculous."

"No, I'm not. I'm just busy."

"You need to chill." A.J. nodded as her brother Robert defended her. "Be happy she's out with us. And, I'm so happy we finally got our ink." he beamed as he took out his phone. A.J. squealed with him as he flipped through the photos. As her siblings proposed, they had an A.J day, starting with some converse and clothing shopping in the city and gaming in A.J.'s hotel room before a Chris Jericho's Fozzy concert. But on their way back, they passed a tattoo parlor in the West Village. Not only did they find out she got one in Puerto Rico, Rose almost had a heart attack when she suggested they all get one together. They agreed on a small symbol with their families' first and middle name initials surrounding the symbol. A.J. chose a black outlined lightning bolt, Robert had the X-men symbol, Rose chose musical notes and Lena, who's been nothing but a sister to her, put a cupcake in the middle of hers.

"Mama is going to freak when she founds out." Rose moaned as she softly touched the bandage on her wrist. "I can hear it now." she cringed up her face and pouted, making them all snicker as she imitated her mother. "I don't understand why tattoos are so important." she whispered in a hard Spanish voice and snorted with them. "You have such pure, clean skin and you messed it up!"

"She'll get over it." Robert admired his arm art. "This is way better than a Power Rangers ring."

"Totally!" she laughed with them and connected fist with her brother.

"So, when do you go back to touring?"

"They're arranging for me to return at the night of TLC in Brooklyn. But, I'll be practicing with a trainer in Tampa and attending more MMA classes with a Gracie certified academy until then."

Lena raised an eyebrow as she drank. "Why? You learned all of that before."

"It's all about conditioning Lee. I need to keep up the good work if I want to be great and make this career a successful one."

"You already are." He rubbed her shoulder with a smile. "You should have heard the things people said about you. Nothing but high praises."

"Wait. Everyone who?" Just then, her sister froze as A.J. frowned, clueless about his facts.

"The people you work with. They all can't wait for you to come back, especially Punk. Everyone is so proud of you…."

"_¡Cállate de una puta vez Roberto!_" Rose sneered as Robert froze. A.J saw how alarmed her sisters looked. _*Shut the fuck up Roberto!*_

"Wait, he came to see you guys?" She snapped as she scoffed. Robert held up his hands in defense.

"Calm down. We took the kids to the RAW show and he greeted us." Rose said.

"John Cena got us front row. We thought it was the army gear, but when Kaitlyn came to talk to us, he showed up and he saw Mendez and was like 'Woah you're A.J.'s brother!' so he got us bumped up. The kids got fun and Bryan yelled No to my face. It was pretty awesome." Robert nodded.

"…And Ryback handed me his shirt." Lena beamed, "So did Sheamo, it was pretty cool."

"Everyone around us cheered when Bryan mentioned you. They like you." Robert playfully cried, making everyone snicker and A.J. roll her eyes. "They really, _really_ like you."

"And Punk kept asking if you were okay." Rose mumbled.

"Why do you keep bring it up?" she snapped in high pitch, causing everyone to jump a little. "I told you. I'll talk to him when I'm not busy."

"It's just hard to see you two not talking now, especially since we know how he feels about you!"

"Wait, how he feels about what?" Robert asked.

"He misses her. And he cares about her, a lot." Robert raised an eyebrow as A.J. scoffed.

"He's not the reason for the sudden love of tattoos or the red hair dye is he?" A.J. shook her head as she pulled strains of her waist length light brunette hair. She added streaks of dark red to the front and on her ends as part of a style to promote her hipster luchadora gimmick in the ring.

"The tattoo of the lightning bolt matches the one on his right bicep." Rose rambled.

"Ro, it does not. It's a non-colored Flash symbol without a circle." A.J huffed as Lena made an unimpressed groan with her smile, making A.J. even more annoyed.

"He wasn't busy when you needed someone by your bedside." Rose started to yell and Robert looked around, hoping no one noticed how ugly this was going to get, as always. Erica and April were the siblings that fought about things big and small and the issue between her and Punk just happened to be one of them. "You're treating him like crap because he wouldn't beg you to come back and he's been fucking Amy in the meantime. But he hasn't, and he let you go so you could get better." Rose shook her head, looking somewhat disappointed in her sister's behavior. "You're much better now and you wouldn't be going back if it wasn't partially for him."

"Really Rosa?"

"Yeah, really April. We know wrestling is your career now. But, with all the other wrestling promotions to go to, you're going back to the WWE."

"That's because I want to."

"Well after what you went through, most people aren't excited to go back. Some people don't go back at all. You are, and it's because you have unfinished business. So stop being a jerk and talk to him about it before you lose your business."

"Hold on Rose, stop yelling." A.J. scoffed as Lena shooed her down. "April, Rose has a point." she chimed as A.J. groaned. "Rose, it's A.J.'s choice to make and that's it."

_"Lena, ella está siendo un mocoso terco!"_

"I am not being a brat! Quick being a mother!"

"Stop it!" Lena huffed out while looking at them frowning. "Now, from what I saw, Punk really does care about you and he just wants to know if you're okay. He doesn't pity you at all. I can see you care about him, but it's common for you to be...scared to be with him." She said with an affirmative smirk, basically defending Rose with her logic.

April bit her lip while they waited for an objection. But honestly, she had nothing. They were all right. He probably does miss her but didn't think to say it, which is what she wanted all along. Her brother gave her a soft smile while pulling her close for a head kiss. "Whether he's said it or not, he missed you. Just talk to him about it."

April glanced to Rose, who smiled also and playfully winked. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am."

"You'll be happier with him." Lena chimed as she finished drinking.

A.J. blushed and her brother made a playfully awe sound. "Fine. I do it after the concert. It's not like he sleeps anyway so I'll give him a call."

"Well, hopefully you guys will make out again." She joked while snorting. "Or get matching ink. That's what tattoo addicts in love do right?" Rose asked out loud as they just froze, giving her an amused grin. "What?"

"C_állate Rosa. _Stop being offensive and drink. The doors to Irving Plaza are opening soon and we have a twenty minute walk." Robert slammed his cash on the table as A.J. drank on, happy to be with her best friends at home for the night, but excited to be home in general.

It was going to be a good time for her. But she still had one more thing to do. Meet with the person she needed to see and talk some things out.

* * *

_Palacio De Los Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena_

_Malaga, Spain 11:58pm_

"_Hey Teen Wolf. Can't wait for you to see what Rose, J, Lena and I got. You'll totally love it, promise. I'll call you when I get out. P.S: I owe you Mexican, cause this does hurt."_

"A tattoo?" Sheamus asked with an amused smile. Kaitlyn nodded as she sipped her soda, sitting next to him on the couch in his locker room as she showed him the text. She literally lost her mind when A.J. told her she was on a plane back to Connecticut to ink her new contract. She couldn't wait to have her WWE BFF back on the road with her. But the things she decided to do her first day home had question marks popping up into her head, starting with the tattoos. "Is there any reason why she would go fer that now?"

"I don't know. It's her second one and she's always thought they were cool, but the company wanted to stick with the whole pure innocent new era Molly Holly thing so she held off on it. She said Vince told her it was okay, but to hold off on the third one. It would ruin the image for the kids."

"So she's out with the family?"

"Yeah. Her brother is home too so all her siblings came to her in New York to hang out. She's going to the Fozzy Concert at Irving Plaza. Chris invited her."

"Did she visit…" her smile disappeared once he asked her that. "Sorry..."

"No. She didn't." he nodded and she weakly smiled. "She's going to wait until it's time for trial."

"Oh." Kaitlyn saw how bothered he looked. He'd been getting calls from Drew, hoping he would convince A.J. to talk to him again. But once Sheamus saw how well A.J. was doing, he didn't want to mess that up by up bringing Drew.

"She'll go soon. Don't worry."

He shook his head and smiled. "It's fine. It's not botherin' me at all. She'll be okay." She mouthed an okay and returned to her phone. But she scoffed again once she started reading an article. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing it's…" she just shook her head and rolled her eyes, obviously upset with the contents of it. "I just hate Bleacher Report. They're just a bunch of fat, trolling assholes who've never taken a hit before."

"Don't pay attention to any of the dirt sheet stuff."

"Well the hardcore fans read it. They get it and agree with it." Kaitlyn kept reading the article about her fluke win, and how her in-ring work as Divas champion still didn't impress anyone. She's kept a hold on the belt for a month by defeating Natalya at Night of Champions and putting up a fight with Layla the following night on Raw. She lost it at Hell in a Cell to Eve in a triple threat match with Layla. Everyone thought was great. Yet the critics wanted her to take her best friend's advice and train again. With Kelly Kelly gone, they called her the next Diva face. To her it meant she was another model with a young pretty face but bad in ring skills.

"You can't expect for everyone to like you."

"Easy for you to say when you're the pale ginger Irish version of John Cena, who happens to be the first Irish-born WWE champ." She snapped back and he sighed.

"I'm also the fella who needed Randy, Punk or John by his side to make Smackdown a good show because he wasn't 'over' with the fans yet. I get it. You hate that they don't believe in you." Sheamus pulled her close as he took the phone away, throwing it to the other side of the couch. "You're doing great now. Ya know that." She kept looking away and twisting her smile.

"Thanks, but once A.J. comes back, I'll be back to square one."

He scoffed as he tilted his head to look at her, "You will get better every time. And yeah, this title reign was a bit random, but you've held onto it pretty tight fer someone who wasn't supposed to have it. So be proud of it, because everyone else is." She nodded at him as he gave her an encouraging smile, a look that always made her blush and made her feel better. So she giggled nervously when he gently wrapped his arms around her waist and looking up into her eyes. "What matters most is that I'm dating the woman that all the fellas would love to have in der corner. And I cared about her long before she swayed around acting smug with the belt in her hand."

She scoffed out a laugh as he winked. "So you do like me as a tweener?"

"Oh yeah. Yer always tough and feisty when ya wrestle. Yet funny and happy when you're on the mic. It gets me going." She snickered as he winked. "_You_ get me going."

"Thank you." She leaned to kiss him softly, but he kept his hand on her lower back and went in for another one, making her smile against his lips as he lifted her off her seat and his lap. "Stephen…" she moaned as the kissing continued. She felt his hands reach for her ass, squeezing it softly as she laughed again. "We're gonna miss the bus." She whispered in a soft voice as he groaned.

"I'll call a cab." He muttered while traveling his lips to her neck, gently sucking and biting her favorite spot. She rolled her eyes and moaned again, making him growl as he stood up with her in his arms. "See, you got me going again." he said with lust in his voice. The amount of sexual tension between them started to rise and she couldn't help but feel excited about it. They'd been on the normal no sex yet track of their relationship for the last four months, just heavily making out like two high school virgins afraid of being caught by Mom. But lately, she took notice of how much aggression and hunger Sheamus was putting into all the kissing and touching. He wanted to do something so bad, but was mentally kicking his ass to stop himself from going there.

She knew he was just respecting her and taking things slow, but she didn't want him to hide his desires. If they weren't going to have sex yet, another form of pleasure would help them cope better for now. So while pulling off her shirt, she leaned back a bit so he could walk, causing him to press her back against the white walls while connecting lips with him again and just as his shirt went flying, she pulled away.

"…you sure this fore play can't wait until we get to the hotel?" she huffed her bangs out her face and he tilted his head, looking amusing at her flustering. "It's just…a bed would be…appropriate. Don't you think so?"

"Next time darlin'. Right now, I'm feelin' anything _but_ appropriate."

She eagerly nodded as his hands felt under her wrestling shorts, making her gasp and her head tilt back, feeling his big strong hands work their magic on her body. "Stephen…oh, god yes."

* * *

_Cardiff, Wales, 4:07 a.m._

_AJLeeWWE is here at the Fozzy Concert. I wonder if she signs pecks and breast. I'd be the first in line. ;-)_

_Damn, AJLeeWWE is rocking out with Fozzy and looks beautiful in band tees. I officially dig crazy chicks that dig rock bands. #FozzyinNYC_

_IAmJerchio just asked the crowd if they would date AJLeeWWE. My response: Yes! Yes! YES! #FozzyinNYC_

Eve and Kofi just sat back in amazement as Punk read some one the tweets again. They were all on a bus to the next city and he decided to go on twitter to reply to his tweets. He ended up seeing photos of AJ backstage with Chris Jericho's band and her in the crowd at the concert. "She's back?" Kofi asked with a small smile.

"In the state, in the company, and apparently, she's doing a lot of personal training with Sara when she lands there." He turned off the call as Layla and Alicia leaned over from their seat, having Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder listen as well. He normally wasn't a fan of having people in his business, but he really needed help understanding A.J. and her lack of communication. "She never told me she was coming back."

"Maybe she thought the surprise would be nice." Alicia suggested with a shrug.

"I love to give and hate to receive them. She knows that."

"Well, have you left any clues to how much you miss her?" Layla said, quickly folding her arms and sighing.

"I said I did before she left." They all groaned in disappointment and he frowned. "What?"

"If you say it all the time, she would be excited to answer your calls. But since you left that little but caring gesture out, she may be offended." Eve added. He sighed as Kofi patted his shoulders to listen. He hated that Eve was right, again. A.J. hasn't spoken to him since his birthday, calling in at 12:01am to singing it loudly before anyone else and making up for her absence by having Kaitlyn buy him a huge Crumbs cupcake birthday cake. She talked about his DVD, his heel turn, the continuity of his feud with John or alignment with Paul Heyman with excitement. She even joked about him getting his ass kicked by the boss and his huge battle with Ryback at Hell in a Cell. She'd been telling him how great Mexico and Puerto are, how much she loves learning new skills and how much the people love to watch her and blah blah blah.

He never once heard her say how much she missed being home, or how much she missed being in the WWE.

"Whatever, we have three hours until the next city. It's four in the morning. So don't talk to me anymore. None of you." Before he could put on his Beats headphones, Kofi snatched them away and hurled them to Curt, then looked around to see everyone still looking with eagerness. With clueless plastered across his face, he glanced around. "Or not. We can talk more. It's cool. It's not like I sleep anyway."

"So, it's true?" Layla asked while tighten her ponytail high.

"What is?"

"That you like A.J. dude." Zack blurted. "You've been a tempered asshole since she left."

Punk sighed in aggravation as Eve turned towards the window of the bus innocently to hide her blushing. "Wow, Steve. World news travels fast."

"You didn't say _not_ to tell anyone Phyllis." she objected without moving and he smiled lazily.

Alicia waved her hands to get his attention. "Doesn't matter how we found out. It's true right?"

"Yes. I like her, but I can't do much about it if she won't talk to me."

"What did you do?" Curt asked with a frown.

"Nothing." he threw his hands up in defense as Curt rolled his eyes. "Why am I the bad guy all the time? I'm a lovable jerk people, not a complete douche. It's only for TV."

"Mmmm Hmm. Keyword: Jerk." Kofi said as he gave his best friend an unimpressed frown. "So, whether you did something or not, when are you gonna talk to her about it?"

"When I get my headphones back maybe?"

"Nope. It's…" Layla breathed out while checking her phone, "Exactly 11:51 in America, which means she up and waiting for you to keep calling."

"I sent her a text already and she didn't answer."

"Text is how you talk to a friend. We call the person you're interested in. You know that romantic Brooks." Eve raved with her arms moving, encouraging him to get to work.

"Fine." He started to text and Kofi leaned over, shaking his head and taking the phone. This was starting to piss Punk off. "You have one more strike and you're out. You'll have to ride with Lil Jimmy in the back of the car when we get home."

"Hey Ape. What are you doing? Call me asap." He read out loud and the girls scoffed, offended by it. He shrugged with his confused yet amused smile. "This is the shortest booty call text you've ever written."

"Oh really, please young Love Master Kofi, show me the noble way to communicate with…." he suddenly stopped talking once he heard muffled music. Layla waited for him to finish and Alicia looked around, giggling when she found the source.

"Slater." she chuckled while yanking his headphones off, making him jumped up. "You'll get your period if you keep listening to that same song over and over."

"I think you just want me to sing 'I don't want to Miss a Thing' to you Ms. Foxy." Health said as he placed his headphones back on. She rolled her eyes and looked at Punk, who was in a day dream. She waved her hands and he blinked, snickering at the memory of something funny.

"Something on your mind monkey butt." Layla said with a pop and he shook his head.

"I was thinking about the movie that it's from." he said and Alicia pouted with Layla. "A.J's sister ran late with some rented horror movies so until then, we found ourselves stuck watching Armageddon on the hospital TV. A.J. starts tearing up once the song starts playing."

"It is a sad song." Eve said with a pout.

"Yeah, she said after her brother left for the war, she'd watch the movie and cry. She called the song the ultimate 'I miss you' song for all the army families who have to wait for someone they love to come home. This song helped her family stay upbeat about him being away. A.J. just used it to count down her brother's return." When the thought of what to say hit him, he bit his lip laughing at Kofi, who passed him his phone and headphones back with a half smirk of his own. "I can relate to it now."

"I actually like that song." Layla said, tapping Health on the head with her bright smile. He looked up and she winked. "I would love to hear the One Man Rock Band serenade me." he got excited and jumped up, taking Layla's hand and clearing his voice, humming the intro as the girls laughed.

"We need a song back here!" Zack yelled as Tyson walked to the back with Justin laughing. Zack and Kofi slowly decided to join in, and then Santino played violin the whole time as Slater started. None of them noticed Punk or Eve taking out their phones to record it.

* * *

The W Hotel Union Square, NYC, 11:59 a.m.

A.J. laughed as Robert and Elena started to fist pound and 'battle', making fun of all the other kids from the concert. Rose sat beside her in bed and just as she was about to talk, her phone chimed with a text and she opened it, frowning as the subject seemed plain. "It's Punk again."

"Well, what does it say this time?"

"I hope you get the message within the message. It's exactly how I feel about all this. I wanted it to mean something to you and I hope this makes you excited about coming home to your other family. " She pressed play and it started. "It's a video." she chuckled as Robert leaned over, soon having them all hover over her to watch.

She watched everyone on a bus, tuning and humming. She saw Santino holding Alicia's hand as Layla directed with her hand, and then Zack and Curt stood up next to Health Slater, Eve and Justin Gabriel humming but looking away from the video. Even Kofi and Tyson Kidd followed suit.

"Is that Aerosmith they're playing the background?" Lena snickered and A.J. covered her mouth in amusement, laughing as they all started to sing.

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing_

_Watch you smile while you are sleeping_

_While you're far away and dreaming_

_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender_

_I could stay lost in this moment forever_

_Well, every moment spent with you_

_Is a moment I treasure_

_I don't wanna close my eyes_

_I don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you, baby_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

_'Cause even when I dream of you_

_The sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you, baby_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

"Oh, my god." Rose snickered out as A.J. started to tear up, knowing this was his way of calling her out. She told him how she felt about the song, but now, it had a totally new meaning to them both. "This is very Glee of them."

_I don't wanna miss one smile_

_I don't wanna miss one kiss_

_Well, I just wanna be with you_

_Right here with you, just like this_

_I just wanna hold you close_

_Feel your heart so close to mine_

_And just stay here in this moment_

_For all the rest of time_

A.J. noticed everyone on the bus looking on and felt bad, knowing it was five am in England, so hearing a karaoke version of Aerosmith wasn't great. But Punk managed to convince them to help him reach out. In the end, she saw everyone waving to the phone and could hear someone yelling 'See you soon A.J!' and 'We miss you!', which made her tears fall as it ended.

"Well, how are you gonna reply to that?" Robert asked and A.J. huffed, pressing his name to call. Her siblings cheered and she jumped up, heading to her bathroom with her tongue out as she slammed the door.

* * *

"What the hell is going on?" Hunter yelled as they continued to sing, cheering as walked to the back laughing. "It's five a.m. in the god damn Queen's land."

"Sorry Paul. Just wanted to lighten the mood." Punk defended as everyone returned to normal, smiling as he pressed the send button on it in time.

"Whatever. This isn't the fucking bus to sectionals. Keep it down."

"So?" Layla whispered and he gave her thumbs up.

"I'll tell you what happens. Just wait." Thirty minutes rolled by and the bus is still driving. With a few of them sleeping and his Iron Man 3 comic book in his lap, his phone rang. "finally." he whispered while holding it up in his hand, slowly pressing the button and placing it to his ear.

"_You know, now I know who to call when I want to make a flash mob happen in Times Square."_

"Glad you enjoyed it." he smirked.

"_Rose says that Santino has the voice of an angel_." He laughed and she snickered also, and then cleared her throat to talk. _"I'm sorry for not really calling or responding. This month was just busy for me."_

"I know. But we'll have the same schedule again soon."

"_I know. I'm excited to come back."_

"Yeah." he looked around and sighed. "I'm excited too." Layla and Alicia awed and he kicked the seat gently. "So is everyone else."

"_I got my script. I'm screwing Daniel and Kane out of tag titles at TLC."_

"Right were you left off at No Way Out?"

"_Yeap…with you and John going at it. And me in the middle of it. It's gonna be weird though, you're a bad guy this time."_

"I can't wait." he smirked at her giggling and felt this weight on his heart leave once he heard her voice.

"_Neither can I." _after a few moments of silence, she asked him,_ "So, you really miss me that much?"_

"More than you know babe."

"He called her babe." Zack repeated and Curt mouthed shut up.

"_I… I thought you moved on. You never say you do."_

He sighed at the sound of shyness in her voice. The girls were right after all. He'd been leaving that little statement out, not saying it at the end of every call or text, which she noticed and thought he didn't feel that way. He hesitated on what to say, but found the right way to put it. "I held on to something with a sad beginning, but a great storyline. I liked being a part of it and just as it was getting good, I had to let the part go. So, I'm going to get it back, and pick up where I left off."

He heard her huff and knew he nailed it. _"I think you'll do great with that."_

He found himself smiling around like a dork, happy to see she's ready for everything coming. "I know I will."

* * *

See, we all good right...wait until you read the next chapter...ohhhhh.

I did get a chance to watch RAW and I'm glad to see AJ is back int he ring, but to still have the short, wrinkled up, misery in a dress version of Big Johnny running the show has pissed me off. I would have preferred Paul Heyman, Hornswoggle or the computer over that. Watching her and Vicki feud is like watching Johnny push Zack Ryder around with John playing hero. I'm over it. Hopefully, Vicki will not last long and this stupid story line with John Cena, as ughh as it's become already, will discontinue. But...Tell me you guys don't want to see John Cena v Dolph at SS for AJ's Contract or Vicki's resignation. I would love to see Dolph and John go at it for the briefcase. But creative won't hire me...I'm to logical for them so I'll just write for you guys. *Hugs*

BlairPunkers, Red Foxy, DemonicXaliv, Kelzo85, AmandaEchelon, UnbelievinglyRandom, NateWWE, Welshy84, love you guys for the reviews. I own you all Dimo's for making you cry. Icebabesfire again, thanks for looking this over. Keep of the reviews! besos!


	15. Reunion

**I was going to wait on this chapter. November 7th was a great day. I watched my Dad, who was a immigrant here for 23 years before being swore in as a citizen this spring, vote for the very first time with me and my 19 year old brother. So I am just over the moon with joy. This is my gift to you and to all those who voted yesterday, thank you. We once again made history and made our voice heard.. **

**I own nothing and today, I hope to own a copy of the new Avengers v. X Men comic so my brother can have a happy birthday. Thank yous and Raw reflections are at the bottom this time because this chapter is one you've all be waiting for. **

* * *

_November 27th, 2012_

_Nicky's Mexican Restaurant, Bossier City, L, 12:30am_

"You can't be serious?" Kaitlyn said as she snickered, staring at Colt Cabana in disbelief.

"I'm serious. I learned about it last year."

She shook her head in disgust as Sheamus tilted his head back, still chuckling with Punk and Kofi as the raven-blonde diva frowned. "Colt, 'Who let the Dogs Out' isn't about ugly girls at the bar."

Colt rolled his eyes and shifted his hands around. The guys continued to laugh as he continued to defend his facts. "It totally is Kay."

"Why would they put it in the Rugrats movie if it was?"

"Kids don't care about the meaning, they care about the beat. It's like a fun nursery rhyme for them."

"You're a dork." Kofi said as he drank his beer, having Kaitlyn moan in agreement. "This is why you can't get laid."

"Oh, I get laid. Dem bitches love dis shit." he joked with his hands roaming his body and she snorted, having Punk throw his head back laughing also.

"You guys are having all the fun without us?" Eve said as she approached the table, being followed by Layla and John Cena.

"Naw, you didn't miss much." Punk said.

"John, what's the meaning behind Who Let the Dogs out?" John frowned and shook his head.

"Colt that's easy. Ugly chicks at a party." Colt raised his hands in victory as they all groaned. After a quick greeting and another drink order, Punk sipped his Pepsi and played a quick beat on the table.

"So, what's the plan for this shocking week off?"

"I don't know. I'm still excited about not having a house show till Sunday. I might just paint the town red." John groaned.

"Same here. I didn't think Vince was serious about it." Sheamus said with a frown.

When the table got silent, Punk smacked his lips together and clapped nonchalantly. "Let's go get AJ."

They all stare at Punk with shock and amusement. "Right now?" Kaitlyn broke the silence as Punk just nodded.

"I'm getting in my bus and I'm going to Tampa. From there, I'll get her and head back to South Carolina before Sunday."

"Why?" John asked as Layla slapped his arm.

"John, he has to go get her. That's what he's supposed to do. She's the one that balances him. He's a bad boy with a heart and she's a good girl who pushes for success for her dream, but they have more in common than we know, causing them to be perfect for one another. Duh."

"Layla, I thought I deleted those old Glee episodes from your iPad." John said.

"Derrick sent them to me again as a gift on iTunes, and taught me how to lock this." she stuck her tongue out and ate more.

"I'm down." Kaitlyn shyly raised her glass and Punk smiled. "Anything to get AJ back. I honestly can't wait until December 18th to have her in my car."

Sheamus raised his hands, feeling offended as she snickered. "Oy! Tired of my driving already?"

"Yes, because you can't keep the singing to a minimum level and A.J likes silence. I like you, but I can't take another Irish version of "American Pie" anymore." Everyone jeered as he nodded, looking somewhat hurt so she kissed his cheek.

"Wait, all of us on one bus?" John said with a frown. "Ugh Uh. Not with a comeback TLC match at TLC against you coming up. I just got off the injured list." Punk rolled his eyes as John snickered.

"You can meet us there. I know you're flying home. In fact, I only have two bunks on the bus. I just want to make this a group effort."

"That sounds like fun." Eve said with her hand up. "I have to appear on NXT Thursday so I'll just ride with you."

"Well, we're already flying back to St. Augustine tonight. We can meet you." Sheamus leaned onto Kaitlyn. She blushed behind her hand, which made the group jeered teasingly.

"You two are going to have wild monkey fun at Fort Sheamo. Cool. Just be in Tampa by four o'clock." Punk said as Kaitlyn huff, hurling a napkin as he snorted. Layla nodded also with her thumbs up and Colt stood up, howling as Punk laughed.

"Fuck yeah! Let's go get Punk's girlfriend!" Colt yelled while raising a glass. They all cheered with glasses high and hope that this plan wouldn't go up in smoke.

* * *

_Tampa, FL, 4:29 p.m._

Punk arrived, stepping off his bus and walking into A.J's apartment complex with a blank face. He noticed that everyone who agreed to be there sitting in the car, looking excited and talking.

"Why are you guys still in the car?" He asked while John just turned his head, winding down the windows of his Range Rover with Sheamus sat in the passenger seat. Kaitlyn and Layla packed the backseat.

"Yeah….change of plans." Layla winced with a grin and bobbed her head from side to side. "You're going solo first."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well you said it was a surprise." Kaitlyn yelled as she pointed to the balloons in the trunk. "So were going to making it more exciting. And we know we can't top you even showing up, so we'll come second."

"Balloons. Really?"

"No. Green Balloons. And a huge Rainbow Unicorn one." she said beaming. "John took us to this store by the airport and we got some of her favorite stuff. We also got some X-men merchandise, unicorn lollipops, old school video games, cartoons and her favorite in bed broad game…" She held it up and Punk laughed, "Operation!"

"You guys can't be serious?"

"Did you get the Skip It, Candyland, Blow-Pops and the Pokeman gummy snacks?" Colt asked as Layla nodded with excitement. "Awesome." Colt stopped clapping as Punk glared a hole in him.

"Child." he pointed to the door as Kofi and Eve walked over from the bus. Eve snorted at the balloons and Punk just waved his hand. "Well, now what's the plan?"

"We should ambush her, or calmly wait and jump out the bushes when she's leaving her house." Colt asked.

"You have a weird obsession with jumping out on people man." Kofi said with a frown.

"It's funny."

"It's creepy. And doing it in the wrong area might get you got, as Ron would put it." John warned.

"What do we do if she's not home?" Eve asked.

"I wait. Simple as that."

"Okay, then we will all stay here with the car off. Punk, bring her out here or something, then we surprise her by hopping from around the bus." Layla said as the girls nodded.

"Okay. Well then, here I go." he said. "I'll be back." He jogged to the house and once he reached the door of her condo, he looked around the windows, hearing nothing from inside and frowning. His phone rang with Teen Wolf on it and he rolled his eyes. "Looks like I'll be waiting Kay."

"_Wait, so this ambush isn't happening?"_

"_Shut up Colt!" _he heard an ouch as Kaitlyn yelled. _"She's there. Derrick said she followed him and Johnny to the gym this morning and she left an hour later. So she's home."_

'_Try knockin'_." Sheamus said as Punk sighed, then hesitantly knocked. After a few minutes, the door widely open and someone who wasn't A.J., but looked similar to her and a lot smaller than her looked up at Punk with a smile. He remembered the little girl, her brother's daughter, who wrapped up A.J.'s time at the hospital when she came to see her favorite aunt. He smirked and waved back, getting down to her level as she put Nacho down, wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him. "Hey kid. Long time no see huh?" he chuckled out as she nodded.

"Alexia!" a voice yelled from the inside and another woman ran to the door, "_Usted es un duro mocoso cabeza_! I told you to wait until I…" She froze once Punk smiled at her, standing up slowly with the little girl in his hands as she exhaled in relief. "Punk?"

"Rose?" she snickered, pulling him into a quick hug and he returned it, but looked completely lost. "Hey. I didn't know you guys were staying here."

"Yeah, just for one more night. We came with her to help April unpack, remodel and clean up. She didn't tell me you were stopping by. I'm still cooking and cleaning."

"No. I uh.. This was kinda random. I was in the area…actually, I was nowhere near this area. And I wanted to surprise her." Rose watched with a growing smile as he rubbed the back of his neck shyly. He huffed out a laugh and Alexia giggled. "This was a bad idea, wasn't it?"

"No, no. You didn't miss her or anything. She's still out. She's at her private lesson at Gracie." He nodded and she let her hands up. "You want to come in and wait. Robert's in the back setting up the grill and Lena's here too. We're doing a BBQ but she's got all the healthy stuff…"

"_What's the scoop dude? I want a lollipop but Eve's bending my fingers away!"_

"_Keep your hands to yourself and your fingers will be fine!"_

"Hold on!" he screamed as Rose laughed, watching him turn the speaker off with a laugh. "I'm not the only one here to surprise her."

"I see. She'll be happy about this."

"We can tell April to come back." Alexia finally spoke as Punk smiled.

"I know and um…there's something we can do that would make all of this much better."

* * *

_Gracie Academy Tampa_

_Tampa, FL, 6:44 p.m._

"Alright April, looking good kid. Let me see another counter."

A.J. waited for the whistle before going for her opponent to grapple. He then drops down, preparing for a double take down. But A.J. counters it, quickly taking his head between her arms and wrapping her legs around his waist, then takes him to the mat. Clearly executing the Guillotine hold, he taps out and she lets go, getting more applause from everyone. "Perfect." She nods and shakes hands with him smiling. "Now, if you use that in the ring, I suggest you only use that as a counter for a pin. It's perfect to catch your opponent off guard after a two count."

"Thanks Jen. What about kicks? I know how to roundhouse but a counter for a counter would be…"

The opponent snapped his fingers and as Jen clapped. "Use low kicks for a high kick. Always duck before low kicking your opponent. It's called a semi-circular. Also, you're flexible. So you have the advance to use the pin back roundhouse, but if you opponent catches that leg, you jump back and kick the middle section or, since you're short, you may reach the head. But practice kick beforehand so you don't end up twisting that tight too much. You'll lose the balance. Then it's just a botched counter." A.J. nodded while her opponent set it up, letting her aim a kick. He caught her foot, so she took her right one and swing it towards the side of his face, hitting the mat with him. "Perfect." He stood up and connects a high five with her. "At the rate you're learning, you're going to be pretty kick ass with those moves you have already. I think you're all good in the takedowns and the counters in shoot wrestling April."

A.J. nodded and shook both their hands. She heard her phone and walked over to her bags, digging for it and rolling her eyes at her sister's number. "Sorry." She mumbled and answered the phone while opening a bottle of water. "Don't tell me you locked yourself out again."

_"…shit."_ A.J. shook her head as Lena winced. "_Would telling you we may have jammed it piss you off more or.."_

She quickly picked up her gym bag while wiping the sweat from her face. "I'll be there in an hour. I just have to…"

_"No, no! Glee starts in an hour. Its Sectionals and they are covering 'Some Nights' by fun. So bring your ass home now!"_

A.J. sighed. "Fine. I'll be back next week anyway. I'll call you once I get home." She hung up and her instructor smiled at her. "Family emergency."

"Not a problem. We've taught you what you needed to know. When you come back, we can just touch you up. Just call ahead and keep practicing while you're on the road." She shook hands with them and said her goodbyes, then stripped off her gear and stuffed it in the bag, walking out the gym in her new Gracie Academy Hoodie, workout pants and her bag over her shoulder.

She exited the gym and saw texts from Kaitlyn and Punk. Punk sent her a photo of him and Kofi playing WWE 13, him as her downloadable character, (which she screamed about when she found out) and Kofi as Eve, which Kofi lost. The last message from Kaitlyn made her frown. "Whatever you do, don't scream." She read out loud. Shaking her head with a smile, she entered her car and headed home.

Once she got to her apartment door, she noticed the lights where off and her sister's rental was gone, so she sighed, opening the door. She didn't really look into the apartment and chose to quickly flick her lights on.

"Surprise!" she jumped with her gym bag and her phone clutched to her chest, looking with wide eyes to see Eve, Kaitlyn, Layla, Lena, her niece and her sister in front of her and John, Punk, Kofi, Sheamus and Colt in her kitchen with her brother, yelling like the frat brothers at a house party. She couldn't believe she was looking at all of them, blinking in total shock with a smirk on her face.

"Oh. My. God." She exhaled as they all laughed. She walked over to the girls quickly and hugged them all in a group, then pulled away with tears in her eyes as Layla rubbed her back. "This is crazy. I can't make…I don't even know what…" she looked at the flying objects in the living room with a skeptic frown and shook her head laughing. "Rainbow and green?" Layla huffed.

"I was in a hurry okay? And the party city here gave them to me at a discounted rate." Layla objected as the guys approached the group with grins of their own. "But I got you Unicorn lollipops."

"Wow, I didn't know they made these but thanks Layla." A.J. laughed as Eve held up the bags of gifts, taking them and hugging her. She dropped her gym bag to hop into her best friends arms and giggled. "You could have warned me you muscle toned jerk!"

"You know the point of a surprise is to um…" she cleared her voice and whispered loudly, "Not to tell you anything." A.J. climbed down and they smiled at one another. "I missed you bug."

"Me too!" she turned to hug Colt and Kofi, and then felt John's arms around her waist, squealing as he lifted her off the ground. "Hey, I miss you too….but I'm a little sore from kicking people to the ground."

"Oh, sorry." He put her down and laughed with her, but then Sheamus stepped in between them to grab her again, picking her up in a hug and spinning her around.

"I'm glad to see yer alright." he shouted and A.J. giggled. After he let go of her, she tucked the loose hairs from her ponytail while shaking her head at her siblings. "Yer boyfriend there was bout to lose his shit when we saw you weren't here."

"Our original plans were to jump out the bushes…"

"No! No, it wasn't." Kaitlyn said as she punched Colt's arm before he could finish. "We wanted to surprise you and you weren't here, so we just changed the format. And you were going to BBQ, we contributed more with the balloons, more meat, some drinks, the cupcakes and the new Rock Band that Colt just had to buy at the mall." Colt nodded as she kept laughing. "But yeah, we couldn't wait for next week so Punk wanted to come get you ahead of time. He hated the wait." She pouted as the girls agreed.

Punk rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as A.J. walked away from the crowd. She hugged him and he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist and inhaling, finally feeling the greatness of his body against her. "You missed me that much?" she asked and he snorted.

"No." He shook his head and she scoffed. "I _really_ missed you April." He said, pulling away and holding her chin between his fingers.

The tension between them was killing her and has been for months. So before he could say anything else, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tipped on her toes, kissing him fully while he dipped his head down. He then boosted her up, her legs wrapped around his hips as he enveloped her small body in his arms and let their tongues roll. This kiss felt a little different from the last one. It was passionate of course, but it was the emotions she brought with it. It felt relaxed, refreshed, and most of all, it was sizzling. She'd been waiting to do this after he kissed her the first time, since she got on the plane to leave, and since she left to better herself for everyone, mainly him. This kiss started something new for them, and from his deep inhales and the tight hold on her waist, he felt the same way.

"Told you." Layla said with a huge smile. "Puckleberry for sure."

As they slowly pulled away, her teeth yanking at his bottom lip, he smiled with her and pressed his head against her. "I missed you Phil."

"I can see that." She covered her lip shyly and he winked.

"That...was… _so fucking hot_." Colt said with envious eyes on the couple. He pointed to himself and grouched at Eve and John, "Why can't I have what he's having?" They all pouted with him and Layla gave him a hug.

"Okay, we've reunited and it felt really good, obviously." Lena said with winking eyebrows.

"Can we eat now? " Alexia asked while rubbing her belly. Robert picked up his daughter as they all chuckled.

A.J. and Punk intertwined hands and she inhaled. "I'll take a shower."

"I'll wait." He said as she walked away, but he stopped her with a hold on her wrist. "But...don't take four months to do it." she gave him an unimpressed stare and he flinched. "Too soon?"

"Too soon." She kissed his cheek and left his grasp, grabbing her bags and walking into the bedroom. She leaned against the door and started to jump for joy while screaming voicelessly. She'd been waiting to see him again and the fact that all her friends came to see her or 'pick her up' like Kaitlyn said, still being supportive of her and helping her recovery completely, she felt so lucky. She was lucky to still have a career to come back to. She felt unbelievably lucky to have Punk in her life.

She felt healed and stronger, and no one was going to take that away from her again.

* * *

Soon after a hot shower and a quick make-up application by Layla, A.J. stepped into living room wearing a black Rock and Roll tank top and jeans. She took a seat next to Punk and he smiled at her, causing her to frown a little. "What?"

"You showed me the awesome hair, but you never told me about the tattoos."

She rolled her eyes at Rose. "Sorry, he saw my wrist and I got into it." She flashed her wrist with a grin and A.J. laughed, turning to an amused Punk.

"It was a spur of the moment thing."

"That's cool that they all match." Kaitlyn said, admiring the art on Rosa's. "Those are the notes to 'We are Young'?"

"Yeap. And A.J has a thunder bolt, without the color." A.J. lifted her leg to show her ankle.

"Just like Punk's BTS tattoo, but smaller." Eve chimed.

"No!"

"What about the other one?" he asked. She turned her back to him and moved her bra out the way to show it. He smiled at the words, 'ya nada me asusta.', in pirate cursive font. The indigo blue with the black made it pop and it rested on her higher end of her ribs, where she would be able to hide it under her gear.

"Nothing scares me anymore." Kaitlyn translated with a huge smile. "I ain't mad at that." Kofi nodded in an agreement.

"I was going for Latin but the font was too long and it sounds awesome out loud in Spanish."

Punk shook his head and caressed his hands over it, "No, it's perfect. Made just for you Apple Jacks."

"Thank you Cookie Monster." She beamed while tugging the shirt back on and getting back to her food. "So, I'm a little sad I don't get to screw you over at TLC anymore John. Creative said they're giving me the new blue sheets next week. But getting revenge on Daniel sounds much sweeter." She winced and John snickered, wiping his face before leaning over the table.

"C'mon, you really don't even feel bad about doing it?" John asked.

"No, he's a goatfaced, black hearted jerk who sent me away. It's time to show him what I've been up to."

"Well, everyone's gonna see that and rave about it. Good or bad, you'll sell it AJ. That's why they choose you to do it."

"I'm just really excited. And, I can't wait to hear from Hunter about my other pitch." Eve and Layla stared at AJ and tried to grab her attention, but AJ didn't look over.

"What other pitch?" Punk snickered out. "Are we making out on TV anytime soon?"

"In your dreams, lover boy." She tilted her head and winked, then beamed more as she said, "Stephanie asked if I had any ideas for a match at WrestleMania and they really want to bring a legend back to wrestle."

"AJ!" Kaitlyn shouted and chuckled as Punk looked at the bright eyed Diva weirdly. "We shouldn't be talking about work. We should…take photos!" she took out her phone but Sheamus just put it down, shaking his head in defeat and looking at the group.

"Guys, just stop. Lad was gonna find out soon anyway."

"Find out soon about what?" Punk asked with a frown and Layla sighed deeply with Eve.

"Wait? I thought you knew about this?" AJ said with a confused look of her own. Punk gave her an eager look while she spoke. "Trish Stratus was one suggestion but the officials thought it was repetitive, so I suggested that Amy return." Punk's face didn't change until she said the next part. "So Stephanie reached out, and Amy's meeting with Hunter as soon as she can."

Everyone noticed how Punk took in a deep breath, blinked once and pushed his lips together, trying hard not to seem upset. A.J. did as well, which confused her even more.

"When did this happen?" he looked at everyone as the tension among the group got heavy.

"Phil, we didn't know about what happened until after we had the pitch meeting sweetheart." Layla assured with a small smile.

"Oh…that meeting you had after Raw in October? Really? Because we had a fight, a very open argument, before Raw, which means that's one hell of coincidence." Punk snapped.

"You guys fought? How come you didn't mention that?" AJ asked.

"I didn't want to."

AJ tilted her head and glared softly at Punk, "Was it because of me?" he leaned over the table and looked at her, cutting his eyes and letting his anger answer the question. "You didn't blame her for me leaving did you?"

He tilted his head while sighing again and shrugged. "It was one of those fights that got out of hands with words."

"I bet." She said while standing up, huffing out in annoyance and looking at Punk with a disappointed glare. "You and me. Bedroom. Now." She walked away and he looked at the group with a bothered stare. Sheamus shrugged and they all remained quiet when he followed her inside.

AJ walked into her bedroom and Punk closed the door behind him, watching her fold her arms, waiting for an explanation. He walked closer to her and rubbed her arms. "Look, I know what you're thinking. Yes, it was and yes, I kinda feel bad. But you have to understand that I was a hot tempered mess when you left. The one person I brought in to help me keep you around, someone I wanted you to be friends with because I know that's what you've always wanted. Instead, she pushed you away from me. I was… hurt. I was upset. I missed you. And in a way, I blamed her for it."

"Phil I know, but she didn't push me away from anyone. I decided to go. She didn't force me, you didn't bend my arm and no one chased me away. I made the choice to go and yes, she suggested it but whether she did or not, that's nothing to be mad at her about." A.J. shook her head, and then tucked her hair behind her ears as her eyes traveled nervously to the floor. "Unless…something else happened between you two while I was gone."

"What? No Apple Jacks..." he lifted her head up and looked into her eyes, showing mild shock in his face. "Nothing else happen. We had a falling out about you." she scoffed, not happy about that at all.

"I…I just don't want to come in between you too. She's one of your best friends. I shouldn't be the reason for anything wrong."

"A.J., everything between us will mend when it can."

"We don't have time for that." He sighed and sat on the bed, folding his hands as she joined him. She placed her chin on his shoulder and wrapped her hands around his tattoo covered arm with a frown. "Please make up with her."

He snorted as he looked into her eyes. "Don't pout. Please."

"C'mon. You know you miss someone who challenges the jerk part of you."

He snickered while glancing at her, thinking of how right she was and how he did miss Amy as much as he missed A.J. She was his pea in a pod and the only one who cared about him enough to be his friend even after he broke up with her. That and he truly did hate losing a friend he loved. Along with someone he cared about deeply. "I guess I have some ass kissing to do huh?"

"I would start with a sushi date and tons of Pee Wee Herman merch." They laughed and he turned to her, kissing her forehead, staring proudly back at her. "And…she might kill me over this but…she's coming to TLC so you guys need to make up at least two days before."

"What else? Did you guys plan a secret slumber party without the 'no boys' rule also?" he joked and she playfully hit him.

"Shut up. She's just going to restrain me from costing you the match."

"You would let John Boy beat me?"

"If I answer that, you might not like me so much." He snorted and stood up with his hand in hers.

"I can never hate you. But I think I'll have to get used to the new AJ Lee." He said. She beamed with high shoulders and kissed him quickly before exiting the room with him.

"I'm still me. I just have better comebacks and a more mature wardrobe." He laughed as they walked back out. "I just want the fans to feel the same way."

"They will love you. Everyone does." They stared at one another as Robert and Kofi stood up face to face. She noticed the guys moving all her furniture and the girls still drinking. "Um…did we miss dinner?"

"Sorry, but Robert and Kofi started talking about WWE 13 and…." Kaitlyn said with her hands on her hips and a wince.

"Oh boy, Robert!" AJ whined and Punk laughed, watching them as John went straight for the Xbox and her copy of WWE 13. "Do you really have to do this right now?"

"I was challenged to a TLC in the Attitude Era and The APA will beat Kofi and R-Truth." Robert pointed to Kofi with aggression. "You may be a champ in the ring, but I will house you Mendez style bro."

"You'll house me? This isn't the Jersey Shore man. Don't talk, just choose an arena and get set. " Kofi nodded and stretched himself out. "Oh and if you want, they have an easy mode to help you."

Robert gave him an amused look as his daughter jeered, making everyone join her. He pointed to his daughter, who sat next to Lena on her lap and kept a look on Kofi, "Word man, that's how you feel? We'll see how funny things are when The Miz kicks your ass this Monday night." Kofi snickered as Robert put on the game and everyone gathered around.

"You okay?" Punk asked as AJ crashed next to him on the couch, leaning closer to him and beaming.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Punk snorted and pressed a kiss into her forehead as they enjoyed watching the guys go at it and having fun for the rest of the night.

* * *

Yeah, Punklee is a couple bitches!

And, no, I still don't ship AJCena or JJ or what every they call them. I want to know why Vickie is so obsessed with this. Does she want a kiss from AJ too? I mean, i need to see where this is going. But, I did see some footage of what happened at RAW world tour in Europe. I would like to see AJ smack the dye off of Dolph with his briefcase Just saying. And You gotta love Mr. McMahon for coming in and turning shit around. Triple Threat for the Championship? Can't say I didn't see that coming but I can't say I don't like it. Other than that, Raw was great to watch.

Two away from a 100th reviewer! Thank you to all who got me to this point and I hope you are really enjoying this story as I am close to the end.

Next chapter, AJ returns in a shocking way, and Amy returns...but why did fight with her BFF CM Punk in the first place?


	16. The Comeback Kid

I loved all your reviews

and TLC is near

so I wrote a new chapter as your gift,

just to spread my Christmas cheer. :)

(That was mega cheesy. But you get it. I don't have much to say except I'm really over AJ getting picked on. Thank John Cena for being TMZ famous, and Nikki Bella's hot ass for ruining this horrible AJCena angle with real life interference. AJ just needs to be crazy again…with Punk. And they need to stop screwing her in New Jersey. It's disrespectful.)

**This is a repost! I didn't thank by favorite mate icebabesfire for reading this over. So thank you X103585! mwah! **

Enjoy my version of TLC! Happy holidays!

* * *

December 16th, 2012

Bracley Center, Brooklyn, NY

_Michael Cole: Christmas is near and the year 2012 closes with a bang with this final, unpredictable, and explosive Pay Per View. For the first time ever, the WWE comes to you live from a newly built Barleys Center in Brooklyn, NY. 18,000 packed live here for TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. I'm Michael Cole with JBL, Jerry "The King" Lawler back at ring side and what a night this is going to be._

_King: You said it best Cole. Christmas has come early because not only are we getting WWE championship match, but the man who will face one of them at the Royal Rumble is here! The Rock has returned to join us ringside to witness a traditional Triple Threat TLC match between CM Punk, Ryback and John Cena! It's going be great._

_JBL: Tonight is full of surprises and it's a great way to kick off the holiday season. Let's get this holiday party started in the city that never sleeps. Happy Holidays to all!_

Punk kept his arms planted on the floor and his legs on the foam roller under his thighs. He had thirty minutes till his match and needed to stretch it out. He needed to think clearly about everything, but he couldn't. Amy's words kept haunting him as he blasted The Hives through his headphones.

"_You need to tell her Punk. This isn't just affecting you. It's affecting her as well."_

He shook his head and kept listening to the song, bobbing his head to 'Tick Tick Boom' as he stood up, but quickly winced as the pain in side sharply twitched. He cursed to himself as the pain increased, feeling as if someone jabbed a knife into his body. It passed through and he exhaled, annoyed with the amount pain he was in. He didn't have a choice but to ignore it for tonight, but Amy was right, he couldn't ignore the facts and keep this from AJ. She's now a part of his life, someone important to him, and she needed to know.

"Hi." He snapped to the door as her head peaked in, and then grinned as she walked in with Amy. "I hope you don't get on the phone when this moment comes." She joked.

He chuckled, leaning over her for a soft kiss. "And miss you land a perfect moonsault? No way. It's going to be an instant boner." she scoffed and slapped his arm softly. "You'll do great babe."

"I know. Hunter said he's still working the kinks out with creative but I'm still getting a push. They are going to push me in the ring in singles and tag action. Tomorrow I'm teaming with Daniel debut, then… who knows. Maybe I'll be working with you again."

He raised his eyebrows and snickered. "With me?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's just an idea until they come up with something but it would be great to pick up where we left off. Since people like us together and all."

Amy didn't say anything, and leaned against the wall silently. "That sounds great. I'll be right back. I have a segment with Paul." Punk leaned over for one more kiss before headed out the door while Amy gave him another glare. He ignored it with a tight smile as she patted his shoulder, "Good Luck."

He wanted to show how annoyed he was with her at the moment. She was being a hard ass, and telling him good luck when she, of all people, knew he hated it just made it worst. "Lucks for losers."

"I know." She snapped with a smile of her own as he walked off, shaking his head as she rolled her eyes. He let the door slam on purpose and groaned. His head needed to be in the game and ready for final PPV of the year.

He wouldn't have many of them to perform in so he needed to steal the show for the night.

_Fatal Four Way Ladder Match for the WWE Tag Team Titles_

_Kane and Daniel Bryan (c) v. Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio v. The Primetime Players v. Team Rhodes Scholars_

_Cole: This ladder match has everyone out of their seats here at the Barley Center. A great way to kick off this night when later, we have a triple threat TLC for the WWE titles, a rematch for the Heavyweight Championship in a Tables Match and so much more._

_JBL: The carnage on the outside of the ring is massive… Kane and Daniel Bryan have been dominating this match so far. Sin Cara with that suicide dive has just landed on Damien and Titus on the outside._

_Darren and Kane are on top of the ladder delivering punches to one another as Daniel gets up with Cody, then gets on the other ladder next to it and delivers middle low kicks to Cody's back. After another one, Bryan kicks Cody off with one kick to the side of the face._

_Kane is still going at it with Darren. The crowd starts to cheer when someone run out into the crowd and hops over the barricade. They pick up a steel chair and slide inside the ring. They walk behind Darren and hold the chair up._

_Cole: Who is that? What the…_

_The figure in black then slams the chair into Darren's back and he screams, breaking away from Daniel. Then, Darren receives another one, and another and another. After the fifth shot, Darren falls back to the mat in pain, and the person repeatedly hits Darren before helping Kane to his feet. They points to Daniel, who has stepped up and finally reached the titles._

_King: Who ever that is …they're helping Kane and Daniel win. Kane is struggling up the ladder to help his partner retrieve the titles._

_Titus shoots up and headed to the ladders, but the figure slams the chair hard over his head, sending him down to the ground also._

_JBL: What the hell is this? Titus just got his lights shut off. This person is screwing them! This isn't fair!_

_Cole: I can't believe this. But the ref can't do anything, it's no DQ._

_JBL: This is an outrageous!_

_Cole: Wait… I think Daniel's got it…..He's got it! They have the belts._

_The bell sounds off and Daniel hugged the belt while holding his head in disbelief while Kane holds his gut, feeling Daniel hold up his hand and the belts with a smile, yelling Yes! at the standing crowd cheering them on. "Here are your winners and STILL WWE Tag Team champions, Team Hell No!"_

_King: I can't believe someone actually helped them win._

_Damien gets up slowly and the figure turns, and delivers a roundhouse kick, hitting him square in the face. He winces back as the figure looks at Kane and Daniel climb down. Once they reach down, they look down at Damien and shove all the ladders out the way._

_JBL: I bet Daniel found this person in the streets of Brooklyn this morning, and in exchange for a bottle of water and some hot dogs, they came to help them win! This is uncalled for. The match is over and Damien is clearly hurt._

_With the officials outside checking on everyone else, Kane and Daniel start to fight again over who won the match for who. They keep yelling 'I am the tag team champions' until the figure slapped them both upside the head, then pointed for them to lay Damien on the mat in the center of the ring. The person gets on the top turn buckle and preps for a move._

_King: Well, Team Hell No is enjoying this clearly, since Damien and Cody have been attacking them for weeks. And who ever this is… is getting on the top rope and…Wow!_

_They execute a clean Corkscrew Moonsault onto Damien's ribs as the tag champs looked shocked._

_Cole: A Corkscrew Moonsault. And who ever this is must really have a chip on their shoulder._

_The figure shoots up and faces Kane. After a slow kiss is blown, the person slowly pulls their hood down and mask off._

_JBL: What the Hell?!_

_Cole: Oh My God. It's…It's AJ!_

_King: What?!_

_AJ is huffing out a laugh and the fans are in shock, yet cheering loudly for her along with the outcome of the match. Daniel just looks at her with wide eyes, amused but confused about it as well. She slides out the ring quickly, staring at Kane with a devious smile before turning around and skipping up the ramp as the spotlight and fans follow it. Daniel gets up slowly, holding his title and then smiling back at her._

_With a crowd of fans cheering for her, AJ giggles with satisfaction in her grin._

_Cole: Well, I think AJ wanted to help Kane but…why Daniel?_

_JBL: That little Converse wearing, video game loving, crazy brat A.J. has just screwed everyone else to help Daniel and Kane! Two people that were a great team and didn't need help._

_King: I don't know why she would in the first place. After the way Daniel treated her months ago, I think that was the point of this. She actually just stole the show from Daniel by helping him._

_AJ raised both her hands, and then the word yes leaves her lips as she imitates Daniel. The fans follow, causing Daniel to shake his head and yell no, over and over. Daniel stood up and yanked the rope still screaming as Kane stood behind him, touching his lips as Daniel just yelled._

_Cole: Well congratulations to the Team Hell No none the less. I guess it's clear that they will enter the new year as the Tag Team Champions….I can't believe AJ is back!_

_JBL: This is crazy. __**She**__ is crazy! Where's Dr. Shelby now? WE'VE GOT ANOTHER PATIENT FOR HIM!_

_King:….well, I know one thing. I officially dig crazy chicks as well. Welcome back AJ!_

* * *

"Ames!" Amy turned around and rolled her eyes, watching someone walk up to her with a laugh. She was trying to grab a simple cup of Joe, along with trying to avoid…"What…didn't hear me the first three times?"

She gave Punk a tight smile and shook her head. "I didn't _want_ to hear you. Big difference." She kept making her coffee and he placed his hands on his hips. She stopped again and turned to him again, feeling his glare on her neck. "What?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Amy shrugged. "Cool."

"Cool?"

"Yes, it's not like that was real. I wasn't eagerly waiting for you to apologize. I also know for a fact that AJ is the only reason why you want to."

"That's not true Amy." She scoffed and he raised his hands defensively. "I didn't mean to flip out on you the way I did. I was just so…"

"Frustrated? I know. You had a crappy month and I didn't make it any better…."

"I don't blame you for that. I didn't mean to." Amy stirred her coffee and shook her head. "I am sorry for yelling at you. I let my anger get the best of me and, I was wrong."

"I know. And…I did feel at fault for her leaving. She said that we all just inspired her to make a change. Somehow, she made the lemonade out of lemons and proved how independent she can be. And she didn't ask me advice or help. When I saw her perform, she was taking all the knowledge in and applying it perfectly. She really just wanted to learn more on her own. I'm so proud of her."

"So am I." he snorted as they finally smiled at one another. He looked at her with his trademark unimpressed stare and she scoffed, "C'mon Ames, you know Colt sucks at Punk Rock Trivial Pursuit."

"Oh, and from what Kofi tells me, you make his flaxseed smoothies all wrong. Is that the other reason you want me back?"

"You are my best friend. You've been around even before the titles and…it sucks when you're mad at me."

Amy sighed, glancing around before talking again. "Punk…you know that's not why I'm mad at you. That's not why we fought." Amy shook her head and Punk huffed out, getting frustrated again as she brought it up. "Did you tell her or not?"

"Amy…"

"No." she held a finger up with a glare. "Answer the goddamn question. Did you tell her or not?"

"I'm going to after the PPV." Amy turned around again and picked up the coffee with a frown. "She just got back here."

"She's been around you for two weeks. So bullshit."

"No…Look Amy, I know how considered you are about me, but I can't break her heart by making her worry about something else. This doesn't have anything to do with you or anyone else for that matter."

Amy couldn't understand how someone as smart as Punk could be so stupid when it came to communicating with people, but she was just about over it. "Punk, I care about you. So does AJ. We all worry about her. She left here pissed about the fact we tried to stop her from communicating with someone. Don't make the same mistake by lying about something else." Punk just stared as she snapped. "She needs to know. You have to tell her. Until you do, you're not in the clear. With me or with yourself." She sighed. "Kick ass in your match. I'll see you after the show."

He tried to talk to her again, but she walked away quickly, leaving him frustrated about things other than his match tonight. If he wasn't going to tell AJ, Amy was. He couldn't let that happen, not when he just got her back.

He really had to figure out how to do it without breaking her heart…again.

* * *

"April!" Vince stopped Amy and AJ from talking and walked over with one of the producers next to him. "That was great. I'm very impressed with what happened out there." Vince said as she smiled brightly.

"Thank you."

Vince cleared his throat before talking. "Now, have you thought about what I asked?"

"Um…Yes." She nodded nervously. "I'm ready."

Amy looked concerned as Vince patted her shoulder. "Okay, your interview with WHTZ in New York is at eight am. You are free to say whatever you want and how you are feeling. But remember, it's about you and your reputation here. After that, you will join the rest of the divas for the interviews at the corporate office."

"I'm not going to slam the company if that's what you think…"

"No. Not at all. We just want things to be smooth and sailing on for you." Vince assured and she nodded. "Enjoy the night and try to work on that statement with PR before tomorrow so it can be ready for Thursday." He waved and walked away as Amy stood in front of her.

"You sure you want to do this?" Amy asked, rubbing her shoulder as she nodded. "There's no rush. You can do it."

"Yeah. I need to face the music. I think its best people learn the truth before it comes out wrong." Amy and AJ walked towards the tech area and AJ looked at Amy with a huge sucker smile that Amy hated to reject. "Soo…"

"Oh for the love of Stone Cold I told you I'd think about it." Amy moaned as AJ rolled her eyes. "It's not the same rush anymore. I'm rusty. It's been seven years since I stepped in the ring."

"Technically, you ended that drought six months ago. Heath hasn't looked at a Diva the same since." Amy chuckled and AJ pouted. "C'mon. It's one story line. Three weeks of promo work and a match at Wrestlemania. We would be kicking major butt together and you get more legend credit. What is stopping you from doing this?"

"…I just want to leave that part of my life behind. And plus, you need your own Wrestlemania moment. I don't want to down it."

"You and I in the ring together is the Wrestlemania moment a Diva like me has been _dying_ to have." Amy snorted as AJ just sighed. "Please Amy. Just…think about it long and hard. I know the reaction from the fans will be different because of the times but remember, if you want to show everyone how you've still got the goods and why you're one of the best, despite what you've done or how you messed up, you'd put your fishnets back on, pull on a cut up Lita shirt, and get in the ring again."

As AJ turned to the ring, seeing John enter the ring after Ryback, she left Amy in her thoughts and waited for the match to start. Secretly, she hoped her words meant something to Amy's thinking.

* * *

December 17th, 2012

5:00 am

"_I want it. Give me it! Give me it! I want it! I want it! _**_NOW_**_!"_

All the girls jumped and some screamed as the movie played for them. Layla shook her head and let go of Tamina's hands. "Okay, I'm not watching this anymore. I'm going to my room and watching something without creepy demon!" Layla objected as she went for her handbag, shaking her head with a frown.

"No, come on Lay, you said the _whole_ movie." Kaitlyn reached for her as all the divas sat around, watching Insidious in the room she shared with AJ for the night. A heavy snowstorm hit the area as everyone slept, so half the roster found themselves stuck in the hotel unable to get to the next city until told. They all stayed in their hotels until the roads where okay and the buses were ready to travel. Alicia decided to find a Redbox, Kaitlyn got some breakfast for everyone, and they invited the girls to hang out for a little while. With most of the divas gone, the small group of girls began to hang out as a group more.

"I don't like horror movies unless there's a hot guy around." She yelled with her eyes away from the screen.

"What Layla, you gonna cry?" Natalya joked as Layla threw some popcorn at her.

"No, I just don't favor this one."

"Please Layla, just sit down. It just started and it's getting really good." Kaitlyn pouted as Rosa Mendez followed.

"Fine." She sat down and clutched onto Alicia with fear in her eyes.

As the movie went on they all paid attention, some of them eating, clutching onto someone and wrapping themselves in blankets for warmth. "Oh god, I can't…I hate this part." Aksana covered her eyes with her hair as Tamina clutched onto her.

"This music is so creepy, it's perfect." Alicia whispered.

"Why is the baby always crying?" Natalya asked as she ate.

"They can sense evil…and bullshit." Naomi answered as she and Cameron clenched onto the sheets in fear.

"Really?" Kaitlyn was shushed once she spoke up and she mouthed sorry as they returned to the film. Soon, yelling from the other room next to them made them jump even more. She rolled her eyes and knocked on it, signaling for them to keep it down.

* * *

"C'mon Kofi. You and the Celtics are getting your ass handed to you by the fucking Clippers!"

"Shut up." Kofi yelled as he kept his eyes on the NBA 2k13 game in front of him. He looked frustrated as his opponent began to beat him. Once the last point hit the basket, he rolled his eyes and AJ jumped out her boyfriend's lap and everyone cheered on the right side of the room, which had Sheamus, Amy and Punk behind AJ. Tyson Kidd and Zack Ryder threw up their hands in disappointment as Kofi lost the game, 109 to 84.

"How did that happen? I don't get it. She has a vagina!" Punk yelled playfully while the guys laughed. Kofi shook his head amused as AJ pulled her glasses over her head, smiling with a shrug as Punk grabbed her face and kissed it. "My girl, as Stone Cold would say, just _whooped your ass_!" Amy cheered while giving AJ a high five.

"You could have let me have this one. You're good at video games. One win would have made me happy." Kofi pleaded as AJ frowned, amused he even said that.

"Oh, I thought girls just 'push random buttons' and 'play to look cute'. Are you…are you _admitting_ you were wrong Kofi?" She asked intensely as the guys jeered behind him. Punk placed his chin on her shoulder and she pressed her cheek into his as he raised his eyebrows. Kofi raised his hands, extending his for a handshake and she took it.

"I was wrong. Good game…all 4 of them." He grumbled in shame as Zack patted his shoulders to support him.

"Um…hold on, my phone is buzzing." Punk said as he whipped it out, throwing his hands up in excitement. "Text from Dean. Everyone is ready and it is recommended everyone uses a group or tour buses. The storm is only lighting up for a minute so Vince wants us all together."

"So what are the girls doing?" Tyson asked as they all got up to get ready.

"In my room watching a movie. Kaitlyn said it was a scary one." AJ said.

"Next door?" Kofi asked as Punk nodded, then glanced at Tyson and Zack with a devious smile. Sheamus and Punk gave them annoyed looks.

"No. Don't do it. Layla's in there and she will put her foot up your ass for doing that." AJ said.

"Guys-" Amy tried to talk but Tyson shooed her. She shrugged and sat next to AJ and Punk to watch it all happen.

"I agree. Layla's not gonna be happy 'bout this." Sheamus said joining them. Kofi and Zack both stood next to the connecting door as Kidd slowly reached for the handle. Kofi shooed him and signaled for Zack as he zipped up his WWE 13' hoodie to wait for the queue to strike.

* * *

"Oh god." Layla repeated as all of them just leaned in closer, waiting for the moments to happen as the dialogues continued.

'_I knew I was asleep in the dream, but I could feel that someone was awake in the house. I went into Dalton's room. There was something in there with him. It was standing there in the corner.'_

"You were right Amy. This kicks Paranormal activity's ass." Tamina said to Amy as she nodded with a smile.

_I asked it "Who are you?" and it said it was a visitor. I said "What do you want?" It said Dalton."_

_I can still hear that voice…._

Once noise happened, the girls froze, until the real scary part occurred. A demon with a red face and in black screeched behind the man out of nowhere, causing the women to scream.

Then the second door in the room blew open, and someone dressed in black jumped in, pounced onto Layla, Rosa, and Alicia's lap while yelling. That caused them to scream, hurl food from the bowls and jump up collectively, freaking out as Aksana jumped up. She turned on the lights and rolled her eyes as Zack pulled off his hoodie, laughing with AJ, Punk, Amy, Kofi, Tyson and Sheamus in the room next to theirs.

"Oh my god! As I always say, that was SICCKK!" Zack yelled as he high five with Tyson and Kofi, holding his gut while chuckling and making it known that they waited for them to scream then pop in on them.

Once they entered the room, Alicia and Layla pushed him off and to the floor as Layla stood up and punch Kofi in the chest. "You fucking _wankers_! That wasn't funny!" She cursed him as she pointed to the door. Kaitlyn and Natalya started laughing. "You know I don't like scary movies and you try to out scare them. I could have had a heart attack or something!" She yelled on.

"Normally, I'd be pissed. But that was funny." Natalya said while nodding. Tyson took a seat next to his girlfriend with a smile.

"So, how's the creepy Demon Show?" Sheamus asked as Kaitlyn poked his chest.

"Well, you crashed the party for reasons I hope have to do with leaving." Naomi said as she stretched up.

"Yep, it's time to go. Buses only, all rentals will be picked by corporate and we have an hour to be on the bus." Layla read from her phone as she headed to the door, only to see John and Randy standing there as she opened it, causing her to scream again.

"Sweet." Kofi said as everyone laughed at her.

"I'm _never_ doing this with you guys again." She huffed and passed them with Askana and Alicia following her out. John pointed to her walking with a smile.

"What did you guys do?" he asked as they entered the room dressed to leave.

"Watched horror movies. They guys could have stayed but they let me school them in NBA 2k13 instead." April bragged as John gave her a high five.

"Wait, the guys could have crashed?" Natalya asked with a frown. "I could have been cuddling with him the whole time." She grabbed Tyson's hand and he kissed her forehead while leaving with her and a few others.

"How is she?" Kaitlyn and Amy stood behind AJ as she asked eagerly. John just sighed as Randy answered for him.

"She definitely dislocated her shoulder. Right before you prepped her for the Backbreaker, it popped out the socket. That's why she didn't finish with her signature in the match. She let you fight out of it and took a clothesline." All the girls exhaled in disappoint as Punk even looked disappointed. "No surgery is needed. They popped it back in and put the sling on her but…"

"Eve's out for six weeks." Punk finished as they all groaned.

"It's seven with therapy but yeah, she's out. After they put her sling on, they sent her home."

"Great. We got one back and lost another one." AJ said as she picked up her bags, sad that Eve was out of action now that she returned.

"Eve's a fighter. She'll be fine, and back to butt kicking in no time." Punk held up his phone and waved it before walking away. "I'll tell her you wish her the best."

"I'm bussing it with Punk and Kofi. Since you're getting on the bus, you should talk to him about New Year's." AJ whispered as Kaitlyn picked up her bags, nodding as they cleaned up the room.

"I don't know. Its seven hours on a bus, and he just lost his match again. Maybe it should wait till after the show-"

"What are you so nervous about? You've been hanging with him since summer started. I'm sure he'd love to have a Texas New Year's eve." She snapped.

"Yeah, but I don't know if he'd like to have a Texas New Years with my family. Not yet at least. I mean, meeting the parents is a big deal." Kaitlyn snapped back. She looked over at Sheamus as he talked to John and Eve. "I can't mess it up with him. I feel like asking him would just make things awkward after the rejection."

"No it won't. You're just too afraid he'll say yes and your Dad's gonna roast him in the BBQ pit of 'how long have you and my daughter-' questions." She sneered as Kaitlyn shook her head.

"I'm not."

"You are."

"_I'm not"_

"You _totally_ are."

"You are what?" Punk asked as he walked over, draping his arm over AJ's shoulder.

"Nothing Punk." Kaitlyn mumbled as she looked over to see Sheamus looking concerned. "Just drop it hobbit."

"Then ask him and I will."

"Ask him what? You didn't ask Sheamo out for New Year's."

Punk said loud enough for everyone to hear as Kaitlyn covered her face, seeing Sheamus walk over. "What? I thought you handled that." He said laughing, knowing he just blew her cover.

"I hope you choke on a crème filled cupcake." She muttered with a tight frown.

Sheamus walked over with his hands folded and his blinding smile at them, but his attention was on Kaitlyn. "Something you wanted to ask me?"

"Yeah..." Kaitlyn chimed casually. She turned to Sheamus as he smiled with her. Naomi tilted her head as Cameron snorted.

"AJ and Nattie already asked their boyfriends out for New Year's. Don't forget to ask yours Kaitlyn." Cameron cooed as everyone jeered. Sheamus laughed as Kaitlyn just blushed. "We won't mention a thing."

Sheamus stare at her and shrugged, waiting for her to ask. In front of everyone, she looked nervous. "We can talk about it later." Sheamus said while she nodded. "But...in advance, I'd love to." She inhaled as her face showed relief and excitement. He chuckled at her and AJ clapped quietly.

"Awesome."

"See. Easy." Punk said as he picked up AJ's bag. "I want mini cupcakes this time." He said as Kaitlyn scoffed.

"Sorry I left so early. I had to go over things with PR." AJ whispered to Punk. "They scheduled it for Thursday. I'll be talking with Peter Rosenberg in New York for his morning show and blog so I have to go back to New York after the Smackdown taping."

"You okay with it?" she nodded and bit her lip "I'm not accepting media, so I'll be with you all day. We can ride back to New York after the show."

"Really?" he nodded. "Wait, you said you wanted to talk to me about something. What was it?" she asked as Amy tilted her head, giving Punk a glare as he just frowned.

"We can talk about it tomorrow after Raw. It's cool." Amy rolled her eyes and picked up her suit case.

"I'll be downstairs." She muttered as she walked passed everyone, weakly smiling as she entered the halls.

She loved Punk to death, but sometimes he really pissed her off. And that night, they argued about his state of mind and AJ, which turned the anger meter all the way up. She hated being put in this position. She knew something about Punk and once again, it was something he needed to discuss with a woman he's dating. And once again, she wasn't allowed to say anything about it.

It made her wish she was a loner again. Those few months she spent alone in Atlanta, working on radio, traveling when she felt like it and having her privacy, were the best times. She wasn't involved in anymore drama or wrapped up in anyone else's relationship.

She'd been titled as a whore, then labeled a man stealer in the mix of Punk's break up with Beth. People get exiled over one, stupid, non-sourced rumor. A retirement, an affair, or anything small that will be huge after it hits the locker room. She really liked AJ, and for that reason alone, she wasn't about to lose her respect because Punk told her to shut up. AJ, with all the hard shit she has to deal with, doesn't need to be involved in that.

So if she wasn't going to tell AJ, she was going to stick around and make sure he did, before it was too late.

"Amy." Stephanie and Hunter both entered the elevator and Amy pricked up a smile. "I didn't know you stayed to watch the show." Hunter said with a smile as the doors closed.

"Yeah I um…I was hoping to run into you guys." She nodded as Hunter looked interested in her. "I was thinking about the offer." She said, and thought about how much shit she was getting herself into by saying these word. "I'm in. But…I want work with you guys on something. And I know Vince is handing pink slips so I think this will impress him."

Hunter looked at Stephanie with a curious smile. Amy grinned eagerly as Hunter snickered a little. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

I think Amy's idea is going to be way better than her last plan! It has to be. And whatever Punk did, he better tell AJ. And what other issues does he have to address with AJ now that she's back on the road? You'll be surprised with who helps them figure it all out.

**Story of the month: Punklee- Masked Confessions by XxPunkleexX**

**Non-PunkLee: Breathe Again by Jean-theGuardian and AmandaEchelon (Kaitlyn and Sheamus with some Punklee!)**

**Follow up must read list: Forbidden Love Is The Best Kind Of Love (lilcmpunkfan), In Fate's Hands (MyChaosTheory), Destiny (AJPunkforever), Addicted and More than Words (UnbelievinglyRandom), No Winners, and Just Friends (DemonicXaliv), Hate this Place and the part two of it, All for Love (Kelso85) Check out the communty, Punklee Nation for all the other great stories here.**

VOTE THE SLAMMYS GUYS! We have one more moment to shine before the year ends by getting AJ and Punk to accept their award together in hopes that they get face to face again, causing us to squeal and hope for a sexual tensed stare down between them. Oh and Punk should be Superstar of the year again. So AJ Punk for best kiss, AJ throwing Punk of the table for the OMG moment, and Punk for superstar of the year.

#feelbetterPunk

#PunkleeNation

#WWEinBrooklyn


	17. Auld Lang Syne

**Nothing is Mine.**

* * *

_December 31, 2013_

"April..." Phil exhaled huskily against AJ's lips. He loved this view of her. Her curly brunette locks were tossed around in a slight mess, her lips were soft and pouted seductively, her big brown eyes looking with anticipation but burning with desire for him while her chest rose up from breathing so deeply. He'd thought it would be awhile before they became this intimate together, but here he was, removing the cut-custom Knees to Face shirt and her shorts from her body before laying her on his bed, wrapping her petite body in his strong arms as his lips trailed kisses on her neckline. "You alright baby?"

"Yeah." she responses softly, digging her nails into his arms as his hands traveled down her body, and let out a moan as his fingers traveled across her hip bone and her ass cheeks, peeling her underwear off her slowly. Soon his lips voyaged on, leaving traces of his kisses on chest, the valley of her red-clad bra covered breast, her athletic slim stomach, and he felt her body jump once he hovered over her hips. His ink-printed hand spread her legs open, showing how smooth, bare and wet her center looked. It was arousing him and from the way she softly arched her back while he pulled her closer, she was definitely ready. "Phil, I want you."

His hands wrapped around her legs while he kissed her tights gently, making her shift closer to him eagerly. Then, his tongue slowly caressed over her slit, causing her to mew with her eyes closed. He worked his motions in, darting and flicking his tongue around her core while she moaned in pleasure the whole time.

With his eyes focused on the sweet juices pouring out of her opening, he noticed her moans fall silent, and then heard muffled moaning mixed in with the sound of wet smooches. His eyes darted up as he frowned and stopped. The sight of Amy in his yellow GTS shirt and her underwear hovering over AJ, kissing passionately with their tongues peeking to him as Amy caressed her breast through her bra, confused him. He then saw them giggling and eyeing each other zealously as they pulled apart and watched Amy stare right at him with a devious grin as AJ kept laughing.

_"You want to tell her, or should I?"_

* * *

He quickly opened his eyes as he shook out of his sleep. All he could whisper to himself was what the fuck. He'd be lying if he said his sex dreams didn't include AJ, his new lovely girlfriend. But seeing his ex-girlfriend make out with her was a new element. It's the type of dream he should want to continue having, but it's not. It's disturbing. Hot, but disturbing.

He stared at AJ as she slept peacefully, her face and hand on his snake tattooed chest, and her tanned cami-clad body exposed under his sheets as her leg wrapped around his. This kind of moment just made him feel great about being home for the holiday with her. He's still reeling about her being here, and the last few months that took up his time. He was trying his hardest to help her forget what happened to her. So far, everyone praised him for doing a great job.

When Phil imagined getting A.J. back again, he thought she wouldn't need him.

Not that he never really believed in her before, but he thought her time away would make her see how strong she was and can be on her own. He thought she would have found someone else, started over and they would end up friends. He convinced her that she had many reasons to return and put it in fates hands in bringing her back some way somehow.

He's glad the fates worked just as hard as he did. Because now, he was waking up in his bedroom, seeing the snow gloomy sky in Chicago and fill his cozy, large man penthouse that face the downtown area. Normally, he in his bed alone all night and doesn't sleep at all. With her, all of that came naturally.

So oh yes- the fates spoke very loudly to him.

She whimpered softly and clutched him as he looked at her with a smile, moving the misplaced strains from her ponytail with his hand. She started to move and glanced at him from her sleepy half opened eyes. "Phil?" he heard her faint sigh as she begin to wake up slowly. "What time is it?"

"It's nine thirty. You sleep well?" she nodded slowly as he tugged her closer.

"Are you okay?"

"Naw babe. I'm feeling a lot better now." She snorted. "Chez and Cassie will show up with more supplies so you can set up and a chef is coming to help you cook." he kept his eyes in her as she moved her head to glance at him smiling. "What do you want to do?"

"Kiss me." she muttered. He raised an eyebrow at the demanding tone and she grinned. "Now."

"Yes ma'am." he pressed his lips against hers and she mounted herself up a little, hearing her moan against him. His hands rested upon her hips and she pulled his neck down to deepen the kiss. It was like reliving the night he saw her again all over. When they separated slowly, they both lost track of breathing but kept their eyes connected. "Wow."

"Mmm, I guess I wasn't sleep walking the whole time." A.J. moaned as she rubbed his cheek. He chuckled at her, and then kissed her shoulder as they cuddled against one another.

"So, Amy went to pick up Kofi from the airport. It's just us." He hinted.

"Oh…well, guess we should be productive with the time. What did you have in mind?" She asked innocently, pulling herself closer for warmth.

"It's two hours baby. The possibilities are endless."

She bowed her head down bashfully, then licked her lips and raised an eyebrow. "Are you too battered and bruised to tour the city on the Phil mobile?" He laughed with her.

"Never. We can stop for Starbucks on the way. But aren't you afraid?"

She frowned. "Of?"

"I mean, John's fangirls slash tires and tip-pee houses. But, since I dig crazy chicks…" he trailed on with a wince in his grin. With an eye roll and a quick peck on the cheeks, she sighed while jumping out of bed.

"I'm the OG. I'm the crazy chick that can kick high and knows the No! Lock. I'd like to see them try." She chimed as he watched her walk into the bathroom, laughing at the sparkplug he's dating.

He likes having her around more and knew exactly what to do to keep her around. He needed to tell her what's been going on if he wanted everything to be okay. Just not today.

* * *

"Wow this storm is the mother of snow storms." Chez joked as she stopped hanging up streamers, looking at the TV news with Amy and AJ. "At 10 a.m sharp, the wind and snow starts."

"If we do get stuck, we have enough food to last us three days. We'll eat Colt first and work our way down if we have too." Amy joked as they kept decorating.

"Well, tonight is going to be awesome." Cassie chimed as AJ snickered along.

"I know. I'm so excited." AJ said.

"Yeah, cause watching you suck face with Phil all night is what we all are looking forward too." Amy groaned, getting a playfully bunched frown from the petite diva.

"I'm just going to mark what was mine in public for anyone who didn't know by now." She said with her crazy tilt going and Cassie nodded.

"I hear that." She rang her clapper in the air as Chez laughed. "So glad to help you host the par-ty sista!" She squealed as she hugged Amy from behind, giggling. "Amy, you smell nice today." Cassie moaned as Amy muttered a thank you, clenching onto her arms laughing.

Phil entered with his eyebrow raised at the female bonding going on in his house. "There's so much love in this place is creepy. On the bright side, my girl looks hot in her gift." AJ looked at the cropped cut long sleeve Shore Store shirt and giggled. They turned and smirked as he took a New Year's hat. Amy snickered as Chez gave him a concerned frown. "What?"

"What the fuck are you wearing?" Chez asked as he looked down at his outfit. "Halloween was so two months ago."

A soft smile and snort left his lips. "You don't like it?"

"You look like an inmate that graduated from Princeton." Amy joked as AJ just covered her face bashfully. "Since when do you wear sweaters?"

"My girlfriend's sister found this in an Urban Outfitters in New York City, and happened to notice this crew sweater had Chicago Bears logo and colors. She thought this was a great Christmas gift for me. And it is perfect. So I will wear this comfortable cotton until it's time to change since she cannot be here with us."

"That is beyond hilarious." Amy chuckled out as AJ nodded. "But did you have to wear a collar shirt under it?"

He rubbed the sweater down and fixed the collar with a bright smile. "If my girlfriend thinks I look handsome, I'm happy."

AJ tipped her toes to kiss him. "I like it. Just…I hope you don't go out in public with it." He laughed as she turned back to the decorations in front of her. "You need to be preppy somewhere else. This list needs to be finished before everyone gets here."

He looked at the paper next to her and squawked in shock. "What are we doing for dinner? Feeding the Big Show _and_ Ryback? This is a lot of food."

"It's a dinner for everyone. We need tons of options. Besides, you're the one who cut meats, so I had to find alternatives."

"I know. I'm really glad you know how to throw a party babe." He stood behind her with his eyes focused on her, grinning as she slowly tilted her head up to look back. "Thanks for doing this." He kissed her again while she lifted her shoulders with a sigh.

"You told me to feel at home, so this is a Chicago swing New Years' dinner party."

"Relax. Her party plans are kick ass and we are going to help." Cassie objected. She playfully shoved him towards away from her as he moaned with discomfort. "She doesn't have time to ogle and creep on you. She has to finish making ethnic foods and pimpin' out your house. So grab your coffee, pick up a comic and read on the couch till we're done Carlton. You're still on vacation asshole, so act like it." AJ snickered as Phil raised his hands with a surrendering smile. "You might still have time for a quickie after ball drop." Cassie hinted friskily with a pout as Amy and Chez jeered along with her, receiving an annoyed glare from him and a blush from AJ.

"You guys need to get laid." he announced. He heard the TV going and dogs barking. "Guess Mom's here."

"No, Colt and Kofi wanted to watch the Haven marathon." AJ answered.

"Those bastards didn't come and say hi to me." Phil said before walking away, jogging into his family room to see Colt clocked out on the couch and Kofi into the show, Nacho in his lap and Kenz at Colt's feet. He gave his best friend a quick slap that jolted him up and made Kofi laugh. Kenz jumped into Phil's lap as they sat together.

"I'm not happy with the attention and affection you've been showing me these past couple of days." Colt huffed as Phil started laughing it off, not seeing the frown on Colt's face as he looked towards the TV. "You've been neglecting me."

"We're hanging out today and all night. What's your deal?"

"Your girlfriend comes back and I'm suddenly not important bro. What ever happened to broskis for life?"

"Oh c'mon man. It's not like that. I've just been spending more relationship time with her. I kinda want this to be about us."

"Clearly." Colt hissed. Phil knew he would get like this. Colt Cabana was his best friend, the one who's been there since his Indy days and after all the shit Phil went through over the years, Colt was the shoulder he leaned on. He was simple jealous that Phil was letting someone else do all the leaning and making him feel good with kisses instead of jokes now.

"C'mon man. You know you're my…what's the term again about the main girl?"

"Bottom bitch." Colt gave Kofi the finger as he answered.

"You're my soulmate dude. And no one can compete with you." Phil wooed playfully as he jumped up to hug Colt, hopping into his lap as Colt groaned in awkwardness and amusement. Phil pressed his head into his chest and rubbed his hands over Colt curly hair. "I love you bitch!"

"Love you too, but take your itchy sweater off my face!" He muttered out a laugh as Colt hugged back. They patted one another down while chuckling more as Chaleen walked in, holding garment bags up high.

"If you do that in public, TMZ will be all over you again." Chaleen raised her eyebrow with a smile as Phil saw her. He jumped up with excitement to pick up the younger sibling for a hug. "It's too early for this!" she yelled as they kept spinning around giggling. He dropped her as Joey Mercury came in with Luke Gallows behind him.

"Why the fuck do you look like a profiler from Criminal Minds?" Luke joked while Phil inhaled chuckling.

"I look dashing asshole." He snapped his fingers at Chaleen. "Did you get it?"

"Yeah. Your Kaitlyn friend had it wrapped and sent. The Fed-ex truck was late so we waited, and they charged you extra rush." Chaleen passed him a black bag with a smile.

"Thanks. I'm gonna tuck this away until later."

"Wait, where's AJ?" Joey asked as Phil went to his stair case. "Since I just landed here, I'd love to talk her out of this before she really falls for you." Kofi and Colt's laughter increased from the joke and Phil just flipped him off, running to his closet and opening a random draw. He kissed the velvet square box and tucked it under his socks. He'd been giving her tons of gifts…but he wanted to give her two more today, along with having that talk with her.

Amy was right. Time was short. She wanted to be with him and trusted him, and he's not going to mess up this relationship.

* * *

"So what's the deal man?" Luke asked as Phil started a game of pool in his man cave with Joey, Kofi, Colt, Luke and Marty with him. Phil chuckled out with an awkward smile as Colt slapped him in the chest. "You're in love man!"

"What do you want me to say? You know her. She's a great girl. With the shit she's been through, she's still amazes me. I can't resist that."

"Can't blame you there." Colt joined in and Luke nodded in agreement. "But you told her you love right?"

"She knows. And I know she feels the same way."

"Is she doing alright mentally? I know that shit still crosses her mind from time to time." Joey asked.

"Yeah. And when it does, I'll be the one to make it go away."

Colt smiled at the statement and laughed. "You're so confident about this dude. Normally you find something to hate but, right now you have no worries." Luke nodded in agreement. "I'm in love with crazy chicks now."

"I dig them too. Does she have any friends?" Marty asked as Phil frowned in annoyance at the two.

"Funny." He said blantly.

"So, what are you guys going to do during the snowfall? It's gonna be an all-day blizzard."

"Well, we did buy out a comic shop, a supermarket and a Gamespot yesterday. We might just hang out at the house until the storm is over."

"Right." Luke said with an eyebrow frowned. "I remember when you and Amy used to 'hang out'." He said as Colt and Joey snickered.

"C'mon man. Who doesn't want to have sex. Especially with someone as…"

"Spunky, fun sized and attractive as hell." Colt finished as Phil rolled his head with an agreeable smile. "I guess her other great features finally got to you."

"I'm respectful of what she wants and when she wants something. She hasn't mentioned anything to be about it."

"She wouldn't be sleeping in the same bed with you if she wasn't ready for that." Marty suggested.

"I've been sleeping next to her since day one of this drama. Never did it to get into her pants."

"Maybe someday she will. Time is everything." Kofi said as Luke nodded.

Phil frowned at a thought in his head. "Pause Marty." Marty stopped playing as Phil poked his shooting stick into Colt's side, clearly expressing his upset feelings. "Attractive as hell?"

"What?" Colt shook his head as Phil gestured his confusion using his hands, waiting for an explanation. Colt chuckled nervously. "She is. She's a cool fun chick. Told you I like her."

"I don't give a Dumbo flying fuck about that. First Danny Boy, then Amy, now you? I didn't bring her around you for a new visional. She's my girl. Find your own boner easier."

* * *

"_OMG, your hair is awesome_!" Kaitlyn said as AJ modeled her retouched dyed hair. She flipped it up her side clean fishtail braid to show the dark red at the underneath her dark brunette hair as they talked through Facetime. "_I love how it's light but bright enough to see. We're trend twines now!_" she squealed.

"Shut up. You know you'll always be my style inspiration."

"_Who else like it?"_

"Amy said I look nothing like her, but nice try. And Phil loves it. Says I'm hotter than Jean Grey. He said we were twins also."

"_Sweet._" They laughed. "_So, since your all glam slam for the night, what's going on? Heard there was a snow storm headed your way._"

"Well, we're about to have dinner together with his family and some of his friends. I think he's keeping it low key. We're staying in to watch the ball drop. And then we might go downtown to hang out there for a bit. What about you guys?"

"_Well, along with you and Derrick, Sheamo will now have the pleasure of meeting the Wolf Pack." _

"Awesome. He's going to have a blast with them."

"_Yep. And they all have dates so we reserved a table at Hersay Lounge. Ed Sheeran is doing a NYE couples only showcase and we're gonna head out now to show him around more. I know he'll have a blast." _

"He might just be the life of the party."

"_Totally." _They snickered again and Kaitlyn sighed. _"I'm so glad you're having fun...even if your P.I.C. is missing."_ She pouted and AJ shook her head.

"We will be reunited soon. Like Shawn and Hunter with or without Rodd Dogg, X-Pac and Billy Gunn, you're the only sidekick I need."

"_I love you too." _Kaitlyn awed. _"I don't want to keep you too long. Have a blast, tell Punk I said Yo, and be safe. See yeah HBK." _

"Bye Hunter." She joked with a huge smile before hanging up. She observed her outfit in the mirror and beamed at the devil red dress on her small body. She had it altered for a custom fit so the lace top hugged perfectly above her waist and the pleated skirt flared above her knees. The back was a triangle cut, exposing her bare back. Amy helped her with make-up, giving her a shade of pink lipstick and a bare natural look. She's never felt so beautiful, and yet she felt like a mess.

"You okay?" Chaleen asked as she entered the room, smiling and dressed up as well.

"Yeah, I just finished talking to Kaitlyn. I'm ready."

"But your nerves aren't you?" she guessed and AJ smiled weakly, nodding as she sat down. "Aww, you are nervous." She said while looking for a tissue. "Your sweat gave you away."

AJ sighed as Chaleen patted her face down. "It's not like it's a blind date or anything, and you guys will be with us."

"Doesn't matter when you're excited." She cooed while looking for the same make-up Amy used to reapply some. "Phil will literally throw me off a Hell in a Cell for telling you, but he's been rotating his wrist watch downstairs for the last ten minutes." AJ snickered as she finished up. "And he's been yelling at Colt for not finding a light green button up."

"Well, guess that does make me feel better." She nodded while standing up.

"We talked a lot about what you went through and I just wanna say that…I really admire the way you handle yourself. Most people let something like that ruin them but, you never let your spirit die and that's really inspirational. He's proud of you and I honestly am as well. We all are." Chaleen said. "And I can totally see why he's with you now. So don't worry about tonight. It's gonna be great."

"Thanks." AJ hugged Chaleen again before walking out the room and towards the stairs. She admired her decorations and the New Year gear everyone was sporting. Phil was standing with his mom and stopped talking as she walked down. She blushed at the stunned look he wore with his bright smile.

"Wow." She giggled once she walked up to him. "You look beautiful." He exhaled simply as she blushed again.

"I feel like this is too much."

"Yeah?" he asked as he took her hand and looked at her with a smile. He took out the velvet box and wiggled it around while taunting her. "Guess you don't want this then."

"Why are you doing all this?"

He chuckled out and she raised an eyebrow. "You Jersey girls must really hate fairytales." His mother said as AJ shook her head.

"Yes, because we're waiting for a creepy, evil villain dressed like the Situation to attack us and ruin things."

"Close your eyes and I will prove you wrong." She sighed and lightly shut her eyes. She even hummed as she waited. "Okay, open them." Once she looked at him, she noticed a sliver chain dangling near her face. She pulled her head back to see a diamond studded thunder bolt at the end of it, and gasped quietly at the full view. "Now you're ready for tonight."

"This is beautiful."

"Not enough to outshine you." she blushed while looking at him and he gestured for her to turn around. "This is just something to remind you of who everyone saw you as. Whether they love you or hate you, they all know you for having lighting flash energy and for being a happy spunk." He placed her necklace on slowly while she lifted her hair up. "You're a woman who deserves this more than anyone."

"You really are the best." He blushed playfully as all the girls awed for him and she pulled him in for a kiss. "Thank you for everything."

"No problem babe."

"I also have a surprise for you. Well, Kofi and I do." Amy said as she turned AJ to the stairs laughing with Kofi.

"We know this is your first New Year's Eve here, so we decided to bring New Jersey to you for a few minutes." Kofi said.

"I told you. Robbie E and Zack are the only guys I know who fist…." She watched Colt and Phil's other friend Marty run down the stairs in the most ridiculous gear. Colt had a fake spiked wig and an aviator shades, along with a really green headband, jacket and rhinestone-studded jeans. Marty was dressed the same way but without the wig and his colors were red. They even wore huge sliver chains and Colt was holding a really long funnel. AJ covered her huge smile as Phil just laughed with his sisters. "What the hell…" she muttered.

"Wait, Marty D!" Colt pouted his lips out and whipped out a Chapstick, then put it on slowly, causing AJ to boastfully laugh with the group also. "I got on enough Chapstick bro?"

"Do I got on enough Chapstick S.C.?" Colt nodded as Marty pointed to his sneakers, "From the kicks up, you're looking F.T.D: Fresh to Death my dude!" Marty yelled as Colt started fist pumping and dancing. "Your totally gonna find a girl that's D.T.F.!"

"I can't believe what I'm seeing right now." Chaleen said as she just took photos and snickered at the two.

"Yo, you dig my shirt bro?" Marty opened his green shirt that read 'I crazy chicks' and AJ just covered her face while giggling, knowing that the shirt was for her.

"Sick bro, what about mine?" Colt opened his which read 'I dig crazy chicks for NJ', which made Phil laugh also.

"Sick shirt my dude." Marty kept fist pumping and Colt just tried not to break character but laughed in between. "It's F.P.C.: Fist Pump, Push Up, Chapstick! YOLO!" Colt yelled and everyone erupted in laughter as they kept repeating it and dancing.

"You see any man?"

"See any what?" Joey asked as AJ gasped, walking next to Colt and the funnel with a bright smile.

"If you see a grenade, you must sound it off." AJ chimed as Colt stood in an army position and held up the funnel, putting to his lips and blowing it as a horn really loud as AJ leaned her ears in with a huge smile.

"Grenade whistle!" Marty yelled while dancing.

AJ shook her head as Colt looked at her with Marty, "Well, can you dig this shorty?"

After sighing out in delight, she nodded, feeling completely welcome and satisfied. They did this just to make her smile and it worked. "You two look like the douche bags I went to high school with." She giggled out and they hooted with her, clapping at their performance as AJ hugged Kofi and Amy with the guys. "Thanks guys."

"Okay Zack one and two. I'm starving, and dinner smells great. Let's get the party started." Puck said as he ushered AJ to her chair with a charming grin, having the group follow him.

* * *

"Alright," Chaleen paused as everyone kept her eyes closed thinking. She shook her head as the group sat together on the living room. "Shit this is hard." She exhaled before shaking her head and giggling to the people surrounding her on the couches. "Okay….John…JBL…. Kane."

"I knew it!" Chez yelled as she high fived Amy and Cassie laughing. Everyone just responded with a mix of disgust and hilarity.

"Get out of my house!" Phil pointed to the door as Chaleen just scoffed out her laugh. "I don't fucking approve Chaleen. You know that."

"I would offer that hand if asked."

"Mom…."

"What? John Cena's very good looking." Phil's mother nodded as AJ just snorted. "Good looking guys make good looking kids. So, I want models and football players as grandkids…"

"No. No. NO!" he repeated with a grimace on his face while Luke just laughed with Joey next to him. "New game. This game is ruined."

"I still can't believe you'd bang JBL." AJ groaned out in disgust.

"Hey c'mon. He's got a great smile and a nice head of hair for his age. And there's no way, in the devil's new hell playground, that I'll marrying or having sex with that freak."

"Actually, Glenn's not a bad make out buddy. He's into it and his lips taste like Skittles since he eats them before every show." Amy leaned in as she looked towards AJ with a mischievous grin.

"Wait…" Phil looked at AJ also, causing the attention to shift as he glared. She innocently gestured a clueless face while sipping her water. "AJ…"

AJ twisted her lips and kept her eyes away from everyone before answering. "It's Mike and Ike's now. It's not bad for his diet. Skittles had too many calories." The guys hooted and girls looked shocked. Phil shook his head frowning. "Sorry. I…may have used that creative freedom Stephanie gave me during the promos at No Way Out _a little_ bit more than I should have. I was a single woman back then and it got me a Slammy."

"It was seven months ago. I'll get over it slowly." Phil said as he walked away visibly hurt.

AJ laughed as she put on her Happy New Year tiara and 2013 glasses for the night. "Are you having fun so far AJ?" Amy asked as AJ turned to her smiling.

"Totally. I've never really celebrated New Years so I'm having more fun than I should be." she snickered out.

"Really? It's the best time of the year. Why so negative about it?" Cassie asked while joining them and AJ sighed with her head hung.

"I ahh..I was actually dumped before the year 2009 rang in." The girls groaned in sadness and she nodded. "Yeah so I hurled a bowl of popcorn at the TV when I saw couples kissing and cried to sleep. After that I never much cared for it."

"That sucks. But was it the day before or what? How bad was it?" Chaleen asked.

AJ looked around nonchalantly and smiled tightly. "He took me out to dinner, had sex with me, dropped me home and then broke up with me… at 11:56pm..via text message." They all groaned in disgust.

"Ugh. What an asshole." Amy said and the girls agreed. "Well, the new year is about putting the old one behind you. And now you have people here, ready to help you create a new memory."

"Awesome. Honestly, I can use a happy time. My mind's still messed up about everything." She shook her head.

"Well, you're doing great so far." Chaleen said. "I mean, you're ringing in the New Year in a new town, and you have an awesome supportive people led by a pretty kick ass boyfriend. Beside the fact that you're still breathing, I think your life is going crazy beautifully now."

"I know. I guess it hasn't hit me yet. I mean, I'm back to wrestling and people are actually noticing me. I just never thought my life would go this way. I'm still the little girl who dreamed of having a good life."

"It's going to take that one thing that wakes you up for dreaming." Phil's mother said with a tilted nod and smile. "It might not happen today, or tomorrow, but it will happen sweetheart. And you'll be able to grasp it by the coconuts by then." AJ smiled at the group of woman that surrounded Phil most of his life. They're really good people with great positive energy. No wonder Phil was so influential and good-hearted at times. The people he grew up with have similar traits. She hoped to be viewed the same way in his eyes.

"Thanks. Phil talks about you guys all the time so I'm really happy to be here with you guys."

"No problem. We tend to like all of Phil's chicks at first. Unless they turn out to be total cunts." Chaleen said. Cassie pointed to her nose and coughed 'Beth' while Amy rolled her eyes laughing. "We can see you are not."

"No. I'm not a complete product of Jersey. I don't get stupid faced, I've never pumped my fist, and I don't know how 'smush' became a word. All I do is tan, and I go to the shore to actually go to the beach. Trust me." They laughed together as kept cleaning up.

"I love this ankle tattoo. What made you get the other too?" Chaleen asked while pointing to her foot.

"Oh, the one on my back is a lyrics line from Lana Del Rey's 'summertime sadness', but I put it Spanish. I listened to her album every day when I was away and the lyrics stuck out to me. And the family tattoo has a lightning bolt because most or all the people on the roster call me an unpredictable lighting spark. So it was a way of connecting both my families."

"Nice." Chez said.

"Okay." Phil came back and brushed past everyone, then grabbed AJ's face and attacked her lips. After using his tongue passionately and hearing his sisters' groan, he even tugged her lips with his teeth as she pulled away smiling. "Better?"

"It's the best in the world." She moaned with a smile and he raised his hands in victory before joining the guys on his balcony.

"BEST IN THE WORLD!" he yelled as Colt and Marty joined on the balcony as they received honks from the people in the street. AJ, Amy and his sister joined them outside to look out into the street, cheering with them as they spent the next few hours hanging out, dancing and talking. Soon the clock hit 11:59 and the clock reached sixty seconds.

"Yo! It's time to count down." Kofi yelled as they all turned to the TV, seeing the bright ball go down at the count in the middle of Times Square. AJ slowly curled herself under Punk's arm as Colt bumped between Amy and Kofi. "Any hopes for the New Year babe?" He watched on as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked relaxed and radiant, but she looked great in his arms.

"Besides the hopes to be in my first PPV, and a new smauri sword, I just want to be all kinds of happy." She gushed while he hugged her.

"Really? So you are okay?"

AJ smiled at the question, remembering all the times she answered it with a no. Tonight was the night she could say the answer he'd been hoping for. "Yes, yes, yes…" he grinned at her once she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Absolutely."

Ten, nine, eight, seven…

"April?" Punk muttered while the countdown began and AJ's glanced soften.

"Yes Phil." She wrapped her fingers around his arm and kept her gaze on him. His fingers pushed the hair surrounding her neck away as he sighed. "I am extremely blissful with you. You know that."

Six, five, four, three, two…

Punk bit his lip and brushed her blush covered cheek with his thumb gently. With his eyes locked with her and the party yelling one in celebration. He wasn't going to keep these words away from her anymore. Saying them would make her moment with him perfect.

"I love you." he uttered instead of the traditional words to say at the stroke of midnight. She pressed her lips together with tears filling her eyes, excitement causing her body to tremble in his arms as he held onto her. "I am going to make sure you know it. Everyday and every moment we have together, I'm going to show and prove how happy I am."

"You're already doing a wonderful job. You don't know how much you've done for me in the past few months. More than what anyone has done for me. You don't need to prove anything anymore. I love you too." He grinned and pulled her into a deep passionate kiss while his hand rested on the back of her neck. She grasped tighter and kept the embrace going as the group celebrated 2013 in the background, confetti and balloons flying around them.

Their night and first New Years together became perfect at that point. He officially made her the luckiest girl in the world.

Everything was definitely okay. No more doubts about it.

* * *

_It's love yall. But with there's comes drama._

Happy New Year doves. I decided to release this chapter just as a gift for all of you. Also, I'm testing my smut writing skills a little. Please tell me if I suck.

I want to thank you all for making this story live strong into 2013. Icebabefire thanks for being a beta and helping me and to all who had something to say about this story, thank you.

ALL THE PUNKLEE STORIES ARE MY FAVORITE! And I have favorited them all in my profile. Also, I am apart of the Punklee Nation community, ran by the awesome Jean-theGuardian. Check...check it...Check it out!

Someone messaged me a kick ass idea for the Road to Wrestlemania in this story...so Maizeandbluekid, I thank you.

*Mwah* Until next time.


	18. dreams can become nightmares

For all those who wanted to know what's happening...well, be sure to be in a room alone before reading. Preferably one where you can scream and no one can hear you curse like a Bad Girls Club member.

I own nothing, Punk is still the champion in my stories, the Royal Rumble was ugh, I want to suddenly marry that smart man Ricardo for using Duct Tape, the Tooth Fairy better be on Raw with that belt tonight, and I can't wait to sit in my $250 dollar seat as John Cena takes it from him at WM 29.

You've been warned.

* * *

January 25th, 2013

Sheraton Downtown Phoenix Hotel

Phoenix, AZ, 7:00 am

"So I have a media event before the Royal Rumble Fan Fest. Then I have to sign some posters before my Q&A. You want to grab something to eat now or before…"

Kaitlyn didn't mean to completely ignore her red haired beau, but the news of what Punk might be planning to tell her best friend caused a wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew he was going to tell her, and she'd been praying to the good lord above that he wouldn't. But of course, Amy had to play the angel's advocate and pressure her best friend, urging him to be real and honest with the details of his crime.

This secret was full of nothing but negative energy, and Kaitlyn thought this secret should just be entombed, and locked away forever, sparing anyone the unfortunate pain and suffering. She watched the straight edge star and the former diva verbally go at it that night because of it, nearly letting it end their seven year friendship. In fact, Kaitlyn was more involved in this issue than anyone. It had been haunting her for weeks, and all she could do was cover it in a facade, and do nothing more than just smile, laugh and pretend like everything was just fine and she knew nothing.

But inside, she _did _know something. She knew _everything_. She was fooling everyone else, and that's what was making it hurt so bad.

"Kait..."

She turned her focus back to Sheamus with a weak smile. He could see that something was wrong and waited for an answer with worried eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Sorry, I'm…I'm just bothered. Just some things that have been eating away at me lately." Her voice remained soft as she parked their rental car in the hotel parking lot.

"Well, you know you can always talk to me about it?" Sheamus reasoned, as he watched Kaitlyn shift in her seat uncomfortably once his hand landed over hers. This wasn't make her feel any better.

She hated keeping this situation enclosed from anybody, let alone someone who as to close to her as Sheamus was. He'd become very important to her, and she felt like she was hurting him the most. It wasn't right to just stand by and wait for everything to blow up and possibly become non-repairable as a result. She needed to work on things now, and at the very least, try to explain her side, and her actions that played a role in this. A tension-filled sigh left her full lips as she turned off the vehicle. While ignoring the feeling of pain and heaviness that resided in her chest, she turned her body to Sheamus before peering into his eyes sympathetically.

"I care about you Stephen. I really do," She stated, making him flash that quality grin of his as she spoke.

"You've been nothing but fantastic to me and supportive, so I really hope you take that into consideration… when you react to what I have to tell you."

"Depends on what you have to talk to me about _álainn_." After hearing him say his common diminutive for her, she couldn't fight it anymore. She tried so hard not to cry or get upset while talking, but she felt the tears well up in her eyes before eventually spilling over, and watched him frown with concern. "What's going on? Are you alright?"

"No," she choked out. "It's not alright."

"Is it about us?"

"Not just us. There are a lot of details and people are going to get hurt again. And I feel like shit because I'm a part of it. "

* * *

CM Punk's tour bus

I-44 to Arizona, 6:58 am

"I can't believe they have us on the road like this. My press schedule is crazy," Kofi said bewilderingly as he read his schedule for the next month. The CM Punk tour bus rolled on to Phoenix, AZ early in the morning for the Royal Rumble weekend ahead. Punk sat on his couch with AJ curled beside him while he was playing Call of Duty, as Amy sat with Kofi on the opposite side of the table, and Layla, who needed a lift after her connecting flight from Missouri was canceled, decided to sleep a little longer in a bunk. "I should divorce my wife and marry this company," The Ghanaian native surmised.

"Well, she does take up your time, your money and you have to kiss her ass for attention. All the time," AJ quipped as Kofi snickered along with Punk. "Sounds like a match made in heaven. This life is the reason why Nacho takes photos with Santa."

The bus halted completely and Punk looked out the window, sighing at the morning sun flashed brightly. "How far we got, Ray?" he called to the front of the bus.

"Well, we're now here in Flagstaff, Arizona. So that means we're about four hours away. I gotta load up on gas so I'm stopping at a gas station here on 66 behind Cena's trailer," His driver stated.

"Awesome, I'm going to lie down in bed. Wake me up in an hour." AJ yawned as she stood up and headed towards the back of the bus.

To be able to witness her in her bedroom form, Punk leaned over excessively, observing it all as she took off her jacket to reveal her lightning bolt long sleeved top and pink silky shorts. When she bent over to place her hair in a bundle, a lip-bitten smile appeared on his face, clearly loving the sight. God, his little Diva was secretly attractive without even trying sometimes.

"What a perv you are," Layla said after as she playfully smacked Punk over the head lightly, and then began to yawn herself. He frowned innocently as she smiled and checked her phone. "It's already seven a.m. and according to the map, there's no supermarket that's open now. Starbucks and 7-Eleven are all next to the gas station area."

"That's great! Can you get me an Ice Coffee? French Vanilla preferably!" AJ yelled from the back of the bus. "And Punk, If you love me, you'd make it a large size!"

"You don't need that much coffee this early in the morning. You still have to warm up." Phil yelled back, and she quickly poked her head out the door, pouting her little famous pout.

"And you can forget about pouting cause it ain't gonna work this time, sweet-cheeks." He continued without looking and tilted his head carelessly.

"Fine, medium then," She scoffed and closed the door. "And some veggie chips please…and Gatorade series two and three!" she yelled once more as the inhabitants of the bus all began to snicker.

"Anything else honey? I heard John boy is treating!" Punk yelled again, this time with a wide smile on his bearded face.

"Well... maybe a bag of Trail Mix… since _Kofi _finished my last bag!"

"I said I was sorry, AJ!" Now it was Kofi's turn to take part in the yelling, as he did so whilst sarcastically rolling his eyes at the silly nature of this. "I didn't know they were yours."

"Yeah, well sorry didn't put them back in the cabinets. You didn't, either, so get to it, Buster."

"Fine, fine. I'll replace it," Kofi said defensively, holding his hands up while laughing.

"Okay children. I'll pick up some veggies and breakfast because I am _starving_. I should probably call Kaitlyn and see if she made it to the hotel also," Layla said while she picked up he jacket as they all dressed up to help brace themselves for the cool weather.

"Green tea would be fine to drink," Punk said with a smile for everyone. "And uh…" he stood up and leaned closer to all of them, looking back to see if AJ kept the door closed, before lowering his voice.

"Stay off the bus for as long as you can. I'm going to just…tell her."

Layla and Kofi both frowned as Amy wore a look of concern and worry on her face. "You sure you want to do that right now?" The redhead asked. "Her first match since her leave is in sixteen hours."

"Tell her what?" Kofi whispered.

"What did you two do now?" Layla questioned with a murmur of her own.

"I'll…I'll talk to you guys about it later. But Phil, I'm glad you want to but telling her can through her off a little bit," Amy reasoned

"You're the one who suggested I tell her," Punk reminded the former diva. "She needs to know what happened. It's been killing me lately that I haven't said anything and your right, it's not going to be a fresh beginning for us unless she knows. But she _needs _to know, and she needs to know _now_."

"I know but… shit, Phil. You should really think about this. Imagine what's going to run through her mind when you tell her and who else it's affecting," Amy said before turning away. Kofi just passed by him with a forlorn look on his face, and Layla shook her head in confusion as they exited the motor home.

Once the doors closed, Punk deeply exhaled with his hands running over his face slowly. This was going to hurt AJ, he knew it. Not sting or ache, it was going to _really fucking hurt_. It could burn all the bridges they had built and mended together. But he loves her and he couldn't hide the truth from her. She needed to know. He wasn't going to hurt her anymore after this.

All he could do now was hope for the feelings to be mutual about it.

He brushed his buzz cut to release the anxiousness he felt, and the pain in his ribs that haunted him for months returned once he entered the room. AJ was lying on the bed, her body sitting up slightly so that she could support her back on the bed rest pillow that was against the wall. Her shoes were kicked off, and she was her wearing glasses, crossing her sock-clad feet together at the ankles as she read from her Avengers vs. X-Men comic book with great focus.

To Punk, it was one of the most homely and loving sights he could have ever seen, which is why it made what he was about to tell her even more gut-wrenching. AJ, hearing Punk step into the room, looked up from the book, and regarded him with a warm smile on her face.

"I found something," She cooed. Punk stripped off his sweatshirt before climbing next to her slowly. "You sent me so many good comics that I wanted to read this one last since you wrote the intro. But on the plane back to Tampa, I just found this." AJ pulled out a post card and Punk chuckled, remembering when he sent that. "Hidden postcards are really romantic."

"It's what I do best," He slyly boasted as she studied the photo of the hilltop in the Cannes, France area. She turned it over and she awed at the message. "It took Santino hours to find this postcard while in Nantes."

"I love this quote," She smiled when her eyes located the particular passage. "It's so cheesy and it sounded like something out a vintage movie Layla watches." She curled up in his chest, letting his arms wrap around her and his chin rest on top of her head.

"_If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there's something you must remember. You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think,"_ AJ read as Punk intertwined his free hand with hers. _"But the most important this is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you."_

When she finished reading, she was practically beaming with a warm smile on her face, as Punk pressed his nose into her head while running his hands through her hair.

"Good enough?" he asked, taking the time to breathe in the heavenly scent of the shampoo she frequently used on her scalp.

"Definitely," AJ replied. She tucked the card back in the comic, placing on top of her bags as she turned to look him attentively in the eyes.

He could still see some type of fear through her brown obs and he snapped his head back in concern. "What's on your mind, Apple Jacks?"

"Maybe it's best if I don't do this interview on Thursday," she said as she lifted herself up, looking at him with a soften sulk.

Punk sighed at what he heard. Why was she putting this off? "AJ, you canceled once because of booking conflicts. You don't have any more excuses."

"I know, but.." AJ started to reason. "I mean, there's no more case. He pleaded guilty and he's going to jail. I could just let this die out and forget it even happened."

"Baby, you have to do this,," Punk said while rubbing her hands. "You need the peace of mind. Talking about it will show everyone you're ready to move on. Afterward, you can push all this shit behind you and focus on your life more. You've been doing a great job so far. I'm so proud of you."

A sweet smile cracked upon her face again and on his as well. She crawled back into his arms and they lay next to one another side to side, face to face, and hands connected. The same way they'd been sleeping together before, but much closer and snuggling more intimately. He'd sometimes caress her body curves while she wrapped her tone small legs securely between his. "Thank you Phil. You're the best."

"I'm only trying my best. Although, since I'm CM Punk, being the best _is_ my specialty." He pointed to himself vainly.

"Don't ruin our bonding time with your cockiness." She shook her head with a glare. "Moments like this are a dime for dozen." she stared at him delightfully as he struggled to find words, letting his teeth grace his lip ring.

"I know they are. You are a wonderful woman, April. I love being around you."

"You don't have to butter me up anymore. I'm here."

"Listen to me," He stared at her intensely while speaking. "I missed you so much when you were gone. I meant that when I said it before. I just… I don't want you away from me that long _ever again_. I don't want you to run away from me. Not right now at least. And I'm not letting anything or anyone fuck this up."

The feel of her skin sent electric tension through his hands. She shivered as he slowly placed her on the lower curve in her back, and he just stared deeply into her eyes to ease his anxiousness. As she wrapped her fingers around his arm tightly, he still felt his stomach turn. Guilt took the place of the pleasure he should be feeling. "I love you so much... and… AJ..."

"Phil, what's wrong?" she whispered with hope in her voice that he would just say what he needed to say. His expression went soft as she smiled at him, caressing her hand on his cheek slowly. He placed a kiss in her palm and then kissed her lips. She deeply inhaled against them once his grasp became tighter, and the feelings intensified when they broke apart, leaving a brief trance gap between them.

This moment could change everything between them.

"I need to tell you something," He blurted out. "I just…I don't know how you'll react. I think you'll hate me-no, no, scratch that-I _know_ you'll hate me… you'll _definitely_ hate me..." another pause and he could feel his heart racing when he sat up to talk.

"I can never hate you," she told him with complete sincerity. He snickered lightly; he almost believed that.

"Phil, tell me please."

He grabbed her hands again and kissed them. As he mentally hoped for the reaction to be a mild one, or at least a slap on the face, he just decided to just to be honest with her. "You already know about the visit I made to your family while I came to New Jersey. And…I was so upset about you leaving. I thought I was doing a good job while helping you recover, and when you left, I felt like I failed you. Your mother, your father, your siblings, Kaitlyn and everyone else who knows you personally enough to love you missed you. I felt as if I failed them as well."

She shook her head and he kept talking before she could talk. "As the days went on, my depression over all this grew more. I could eat, sleep, and even with everyone around me, I felt so alone without you. And all I could do was blame myself and him. So, I decided to tell the bastard what he did. He needed to know how bad he hurt you. How much damaged he caused for you and the people in your life. I wanted to make sure he knew how much of a monster he'd become and why he should just rot in jail like a beast who should be locked in a cage."

She didn't say anything as he finished his statement. "I visited Drew in jail…before leaving New Jersey."

* * *

"Wow." Layla exhaled as Amy nodded slowly, finishing explaining what had been eating away at her best friend for months to her and Kofi. She honestly felt bad for the Straight-Edge superstar. He had been dealing with nothing but drama since last year and it wasn't ending anytime soon for him. "Why didn't he tell anyone?" she finally asked.

"He told me and I freaked out. I was completely against it. Paul and management told him not to go. They didn't want him to get personally involved with AJ's situation any further," Amy calmly expressed while making her coffee in an half empty Starbucks. "But this wasn't just about making himself feel better. He was going crazy without her. I wasn't really helping since his fingers still pointed to me with blame when she left."

"No wonder he looked so upset when after Raw that night. He just stayed in his room alone, not talking to anyone," Kofi spoke.

"Well, he wasn't alone…I…went to see how he was doing. He wasn't answering the phone and he'd ignored all of us. I had an extra key to the room so I went."

Amy then hesitated, giving off this feeling of grief over the next detail.

Layla frowned in confusion with Kofi. "Amy, what did you find?" Kofi asked while Amy bit her lips and Layla felt anxious also. "What?"

"Yeah, Amy." They turned to see Eve, who looked completely bothered the only way she could. Her eyes glared hard into Amy's eyes and her jaw line looked tense. But those perfect powder blue eyes darkened with anger as Amy just sighed. "Tell them what you saw."

"Eve-" John tried to stop her but her hand flew up to silence him. She folded her arms as she waited.

Amy didn't want to do this again. She didn't want to be the delivery girl of WWE gossip. She didn't want to see anyone get hurt anymore, especially Phil and April. That's not what she was back for. But since the bus was about to explode anyway, she needed to make sure everyone was preparing for the radioactive damage.

"I walked in and saw him half naked…kissing another half-naked woman. I saw him kissing Kaitlyn."

* * *

AJ's mind screamed for her to say something, _anything_ at all, but she didn't know what to say about it all. She couldn't know how to say anything about this and she felt some many emotions hit her at once that she just turned away from him silently.

"I just thought the visit would make everything okay," Punk tried to explain. "I thought I would feel better, but I didn't. Amy was still upset I went, and I didn't know who else to talk to." She bit her lip as he rambled on, still unable to find the words to say.

"Kaitlyn just kept asking me about my sanity when we got back to the house, and I…I just felt right talking to her. She's the only woman I could trust with this besides you and Amy. So, I told her how I felt and how the visit went. I ranted about you and how empty I felt without you. She cried about it with me. I cried. It made me feel a little better when I did. But…then I felt myself craving more. I didn't want to feel the way I was feeling. This empty but painful and heavy feeling took a toll on me and she just started to touch me…the way you touched me before you left. The way you looked at me with desire and comfort wasn't anything like hers but it felt good to be comfortable and she made it happen. For that moment, I needed something to feel better."

"Amy caught us before anything went further, and she was furious. We ended things with a really nasty fight about it. She stopped talking to me because I wouldn't tell you anything. She didn't want to see the mistake she made with Matt and Adam play out in my world. So Kait and I just decided to treat it as nothing because it was nothing. But I wanted to tell you now before you found out from someone else now because I love you, and I don't want you to be hurt by anyone, including me."

She didn't know what to do, or how to react. He did something she thought he would never do, and all because she left him alone. He visited Drew because of what he did to her and he almost slept with her best friend because she wasn't there. This all sounded like one crazy-ass episode of Jerry fuckin' Springer.

He was the man who promised himself to her. He vowed to be with her when she was ready. He _promised_ to wait for her. And he didn't..

To say she felt nothing but betrayal and foolishness was a _complete_ understatement.

"Okay." She slowly rose up and pushed him away, fighting back angry tears as she sat up, tugging her sweat suit back on as her feet dangled over the side of the bed. As she looked for her shoes to slip on, a tear eventually slipped from her eye. She didn't want Phil to see the rest fall, so she turned her back to him.

"AJ… I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done it…"

"I don't want to hear anymore. Please. Just stop talking about it. I get it…." she rolled her eyes with a scoff as she stood up, opening the door as he frowned.

"April, I'm sorry…"

"I get it _Punk_.." she blurred out and he shut up instantly, seeing the hurt in her eyes and her tears as she rushed to the bus doors. "I just need to… I need to leave, okay?" She exited the bus and shielded her eyes from the day rain that began to fall while walking. She didn't have her glasses with her, so her tears and the water made her blind. Her mind was still processing everything, so the tears kept coming, making it worse.

She collided with another pair of arms and jumped, feeling dry under an umbrella. She looked up and noticed a pair of familiar blue eyes peering at her. She comfortably grasped onto him, and then finally, she started to lean against his chest, and began to weep uncontrollably.

"AJ, relax, calm down." John cooed as she just kept crying, looking back to see Amy, Eve, Layla and Kofi watching them with guilt. Her whole body shook violently in his arms as her tears fell without any sobs or whimpers of any sort made from her lips. She was holding back her hurt. She wanted love. She wanted him to be intimate with her on another level and to love her when she was better. But he chose to do it with someone _else_ when she couldn't.

Someone _else_ practically gave him what she couldn't and it was her nightmare turned reality.

* * *

"You… you what?" Sheamus scoffed out, removing his hand from hers as soon as she explained herself to him. His mind had to be playing tricks on him. He didn't just hear what he thought he heard, did he? This had to be one huge nightmare. He never thought Kaitlyn, or Punk for this matter, would even want to be in the same room together, let alone do what they did. "You two had sex?"

"No I… we didn't. All we did was kiss, and it really didn't go any further than that." She shook her head wildly as she sputtered. "I… I felt so bad for him. He was out of his element. He wasn't himself anymore, and not having AJ around completely took a toll on him. So I went to talk to him about it."

"Why didn't ya let Amy go chat him out of it? Or Kofi. Anyone else who's his friend," Sheamus questioned.

"But I _am_ his friend, Stephen," Kaitlyn said. "AJ is my best friend. I missed her. You know that. We all did. And he was so torn up about her leaving the most. I just wanted to comfort and reassure him that she was still coming back to him."

"I don't understand how that led to a kiss….or to intimacy."

"I don't know either."

Sheamus shook his head in disappointment. "And you have me. Remember that? How could you do something so stupid?" After that was said, he opened the door and exited the car quickly, slamming the door and letting the rain pour on him. He just needed to leave, breathe, run a mile, kick more than one man in the face, or drink a huge mug of ale. Anything that would help him cope this excruciating feeling in his chest.

He didn't get too far when realized Kaitlyn followed in the rain. "I was in the moment!" She stressed out in frustration. He rolled his eyes as she started to beg, letting the tears mix in with the rain. She frowned from the amount of raining hitting them, but he could still see her urge to stare at him while she talked.

"He…he started crying. Right in front of me. I've never seen him do that or act that passionate. He really loved her and she wasn't around. He was lonely, and I felt bad for him. I kept thinking about how I would feel if you left me. Do you know how much it would hurt to lose something, or someone. that you really cared about?"

Sheamus glanced now at Kaitlyn, seeing those unique blue, brown and green eyes swell with sorrow and her face twist in desperation. He didn't know what to think or what else to say to her. He was hurt now, and being around the clause of this pain just didn't help.

"Yeah. I do now!" He yelled over the thunder before walking towards the hotel to enter it.

He left her outside in the rain, and he left the great relationship he thought he had with her also.

* * *

You can either give me a hug as you cry or you stuff a snowball down my pants. Your call.

Maizeandbluekid looked this over with me this time. A HUGE thank you to him and MyChaosTheory. They both gave me kick ass advice and helped me with the story a lot to make it better. I hope I didn't disappoint. Don't forget to check out all my favorite people via my profile and some new cool stories have been added: Like Kelzo85's new fic Retribution. two words to describe how good this one is: deviously scandalous. All the Punklee fics are a must read so hop to it.

The next chapter serves as the fall out chapter, and you'll see a reaction from someone unexpected that gets ugly. Any guess who?

#ThankYouCMPunkFor334wonderfu ldays

#StillPunkleeNation

#Y2Jisbeautifulbaby

#69daystillWMNYNJ

Besos *Mwah*


	19. Change of Plans Pt 1

Happy Friday PunkleeBabes! This was super long so cut it from the last chapter, but I'm eager to post it now! So here it is. I might be a bit slow in responding to reviews since I'm planning the huge party for the boyfriend tonight.

I reviewed alot of wows. No snowballs, and one huge (Thanks UnbelievablyRandom). Again, so snowballs to the face for breaking everyone up, so thanks for all your reviews! I leave you with this and I hope you enjoy.

I OWN NOTHING.

* * *

US Airways Arena

11:00am

"What do you think she'll do now?"

"She should slap me. I deserve it. I'll either get a knee to the face myself, or I'll have Dwayne kick my ass extra hard." Punk stopped pushing the crate and shook himself out, turning back to Daniel and Kofi, who spend of his warm up talking to him.

"She's not going to slap you," Kofi reassured.

"Alright, then. Knees to the face it is," Punk responded, while walking back to the locker room. "I just... I need to make things right, is all."

"Things are right man."

"How can you say that? I just fucked up everything I worked on building with her."

"But she's back now," Daniel now spoke up. "And she's wrestling and ever since she's been back and around you, she's been happy." Punk sighed as Daniel continued. "She's upset because she thought you were being celibate for her or something."

"I wasn't. And I should have been."

"You've been waiting for her man," the Aberdeen Washington native explained. "When she left, you acted more like a grumpy prick than usual. You became more self-centered and callous than normal. Now, she's on back on the bus and you're back to being somewhat fun and tolerable."

"I can even see some of her dork-like tendencies rub on you and she's a lot snappier than she used to be. She's going to get over this. You two weren't even together when it happened," Daniel finished

"It still makes a difference to her," Punk stated.

"Look man," Kofi said, while patting his friend on the shoulder. "You basically _begged_ her to spend New Year's with you at home. She went with you and from what I saw, she's way better with you than without you man. And vice versa with you and her. I could see through all the glances and the blushing that you two are in love."

"And if she still feels that way after what had happened to her, it's a big step to improvement," Daniel quickly added in. "This has been eating at you because you love her. It's out now, so just work it out with her and move pass all this."

"Sounds way too easy man," Phil shook his head and nodded at his friends. "What makes you two bastards so good at this?"

"We have women who love us too," Daniel tapped his stomach with his fist as Phil chuckled out with him.

"It's going to be good. Just talk to her."

"Punk!"

They all turned to see Hunter waiting next to the office. "Get in my office. Now."

* * *

AJ just kept her eyes to the walls of the temporary office as she sat still. She didn't want to look around the room, or at the people in it. The people in here with her were waiting for Hunter to return with an explanation. She's not really upset about what she was told or what occurred yesterday, but she wasn't ready to let them know it.

She already knows that Kaitlyn is holding a bloody tissue to her nose in misery. Eve's sitting next to her with her hand wrapped. John is even in here and he looks bothered as well. Kaitlyn and Eve are rolling their eyes at one another. But most importantly, Punk is still staring directly at her, in hopes she'll converse with him right now. But she's not, so now he looks flustered and upset. Basically, everyone is fuming about something, and they look like a band of teenage misfit waiting to be scowled by the principal.

She doesn't want to know why she's in here. She's rather be in the ring working her dark match routine with Alicia. She just doesn't want to be around the people in this room.

"So you're just… not going to talk to me, again? Like, ever?" Punk asked as AJ just played with her fingers, showing the lack of desire to hear him out. "I know sorry isn't the right thing to say now but-"

"Then don't say it," Eve cut in harshly. She then flashed the straight edge star a phony and very stiff smile. "I doubt she cares about anything you have to say."

"Oh, and by all means, tell me what else she's thinking Eve," he snapped back sarcastically with his eyes and face twisted in fury. "Since you're decided to be the bird that spreads someone else's word around, tell her what you know."

"I know she's hurt again. Because of you two," She nodded to him, as well as Kaitlyn.

"I can't believe you even said anything to her Punk. I thought we agreed not to talk about it," Kaitlyn muttered with her head tilted back. "I didn't want to have that kind of reputation here."

"Hindsight is 20/20, isn't it Kaitlyn?" Eve snorted while turning back to her. "By the way, I didn't hear it from him, and that doesn't matter. What matters is that Punk was single and broken when AJ left. And you're supposed be her friend, her _best friend_, but that didn't cross your mind either, did it?"

"Eve that's enough," John barked out as Eve huffed, turning back to face forward. "It wasn't your business to get involved in. What you did wasn't professional and it was unlike you."

"I can't believe you're defending her," Eve scoffed.

"I'm not, but I can't wrap my head around what I just saw you do out there. We talked about this. You don't need to go all Mother Hawk for AJ when she gets hurt this time. We all agreed to stay out of this issue."

"AJ," Kaitlyn spoke up, sighing while she removed the tissue to look at her. "From the bottom of my heart, I'm so, _so_ sorry. You're my best friend and I love you like a sister. This thing between me and Phil, it barely happened and it meant nothing to me, either. I have no interest in him, and you know that."

"Doesn't matter how it happened. It happened. And you don't talk to her either," Eve spoke again as AJ shifted awkwardly.

"I didn't sleep with anyone, Eve!" Kaitlyn fired back. "You basically just created a rumor about me and Phil, and got us all in trouble by opening your big, fat, pageant queen wannabe mouth. And you bloodied my nose!"

"Well, If Mike hadn't pulled me off you and got you away to the trainers, trust me, I would have done a lot worse," Eve chuckled out.

"April," Punk begged, now focusing his attention back on her. He began pulling his chair closer to hers and he placed his title over his knee, leaning close enough and staring at her as she just kept her eyes forward. "We weren't together yet and you weren't here. I missed you. We all missed you, and I just felt responsible for you leaving. If I could take back what I did, I would in a heartbeat. But I want to just move on now... with you."

AJ finally looked at him, seeing those mossy green eyes of his gleam with a bit of hurt and concern. She still didn't feel the urge to hit him or yell at him. He was right. They weren't even a couple when she left. Maybe that's why it doesn't hurt as much anymore. Or maybe she was alright with him moving on after she recovered. She knows he loved her, but what she told Amy stuck. Now isn't the right time for them to be together.

Hunter, Stephanie, John Laurinaitis and Paul Heyman walked in and it got quiet. You could hear a pindrop in the room. Hunter just glowered at both Eve and Kaitlyn, infuriated and burning red over what he was just told. "Now... could someone mind telling me...what the hell just happened out there?"

_For the last three minutes during her warm ups, all of Eve's moves were hard hits to the mat and aggressive tugs all made it look like a real match, especially when she locked up with Kaitlyn. She didn't seem too apologetic about almost leveling Kaitlyn to the mat. _

_As Eve left the ring and entered the back, John was the first to pull her aside, and when he did, she looked at him with one hell of a serious glare. He could probably see the darkness in her eyes and could see her anger as she just inhaled sharply. _

"_Eve," He started. "Don't lose it. It's not your battle to fight. Just stay out of it." he coded. _

"_John, I'm fine," she assured._

"_Well, I can't tell," Kaitlyn said, clearly bothered as well as she stood face to face to confront the diva about her hostile behavior once she reached them in the back. "Is there something you want to tell me? Did I do something to you?" she scowled. _

_Eve let out a sly chuckle before shoving her away harshly. "Don't get too close to me. You might take something that's mine also." _

"_What the hell is your problem?" Kaitlyn snapped back, loud enough to have everyone in close proximity observing the two. "Eve, I thought we were on a good similar page now."_

"_You really want to pretend you're still innocent?" Eve yelled as John held her back. Mike reached the back and helped to block the two from fighting. "God, if there's anything I hate more in this world it would have to be manipulative, attention loving liars." _

"_Whoa. Eve, calm it down." John warned while looking at her. He nodded to the workers, reminding her that everyone who loves to be a source for dirt sheets were listening in. But the anger in her eyes told him she wasn't thinking about that._

"_I honestly thought you had more respect and class than that, Celeste. Clearly, you are a lot of things, and respectful isn't one of them." _

"_What are you talking about?" _

"_It's not enough you won NXT by a landslide. You just had to take him-" _

"_Don't. Mention. Phil." Kaitlyn gritted through grinding teeth._

"_Oh, why shouldn't I? If you ask everyone else around here, they would tell you that AJ should have been the one to face Naomi in the final, and she sure as hell didn't deserve to come in THIRD. Winning a spot that YOU didn't deserve was bad enough. And now to top it all off, you tried to steal your best friend's boyfriend. Un-fucking-believeable. "_

"_Who the hell do you think you are to accuse me of such a thing? Are you just upset and jealous that people would actually rather see me wrestle than some overrated, phony smiling twat who thinks she's the best?" Kaitlyn icily asked._

"_Oh, please. Do you really want to have that discussion with me? Says the woman who won her popularity through internet votes because she posed in a bikini, looks like a fucking body builder, and who couldn't wrestle her way out of a fucking bag before she got here," Eve shot back. _

"_Girls! Tone it down-" _

"_No, John! I'm going to be honest with her." _

_Kaitlyn leaned her ears to sarcastically listen as Eve continued. "You weren't even supposed to be here this long. You are a replacement. Naomi, Maxine, AJ; they were all better than you," she emphasized. "You merely got lucky. AJ was out, so they went with you. And when Layla tripped and hurt herself, the belt became yours this summer. No one thinks you're actually talented. You're just some hot piece of ass, and barely average in the ring, at best." _

"_Wow." Kaitlyn said before shoving Eve back. "At least people don't think I'm the second best shadow to someone blonde, perky and fit." _

_After she spat that out, the Hybrid diva didn't even have a chance to pull back, and Eve's fist flew right into her nose. The two-toned Houston native yelped out in pain and shock as Mike caught her from falling back and hitting the floor. _

_Everyone reacted with shock when Eve just tilted her head, opened her arms cheekily and shouted, "At least I didn't try and fuck my best friend's boyfriend." _

"She almost broke my nose!" Kaitlyn snapped before hissing in pain, pulling her head back again.

"She disrespected me so I reacted," Eve calmly defended herself.

"Yeah, she reacted, alright," Punk said under her breath. Paul placed his hand over his shoulders to stop him from being snarky. Now wasn't the time for it.

"I don't care who started it. Both of you caused a disruption backstage," Mr. Laurinaitis began speaking. "Your argument in this place qualifies as unprofessional. I never expected you two beautiful and classy ladies to behavior in such a primitive and juvenile manner."

"Eve, you're in the prime of you career right now. Is _this_ is how you want to leave a name for yourself?" Hunter questioned

"Far from it," Eve muttered.

"Celeste," Stephanie looked right at the busty diva, causing her to look up with a softer glare. "I thought your friendship with AJ was very treasured and important to you. I'm really disappointed to hear what I heard. And Eve, you've always been more professionally polished here. So for you to shout something so personal isn't like you. Just what exactly got into you two?" she questioned.

"Trust me when I say this: it was all because of one big ass mistake," Kaitlyn stressed while pointing between herself and Punk.

"Um…ouch?" Punk said as Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. "I may be full of myself, but I'm not a bad kisser. Don't lie about it."

"Ugh. gross," Kaitlyn muttered. "I'd never have sex with you. Not even with a gun to my head."

"I was in the heat of the moment when I said those things," Eve exhaled.

"You said what everyone else has been thinking. So you know what…" Kaitlyn looked at her with a bright smile. "Thanks for being honest with me."

"It's fine. And I'm sorry your blood messed up your clothes. Soak it in hot water," Eve sarcastically shot back.

"Enough!" Hunter barked while running his hand over his hair, which took some time for people to get used to since he cut off his ponytail. He then glanced at Punk while a weary amused grin. "And why am I not surprised that you are the reason behind all this?"

"Glad I didn't disappoint you, boss," The tattooed WWE Champion chimed proudly.

"So, if you really did cheat on your girlfriend with her best friend, why aren't you the one with a bloody nose?" Cena asked.

"It wasn't like that at all," AJ finally spoke up, shaking her head as everyone in the room now focused all their attention on her. "I didn't ask for Eve to defend me and I'm not upset about what's going on with Punk and Kaitlyn because…he wasn't my boyfriend…._then_." She stated. "They really didn't sleep together like Eve said so technically, her statement is an unconfirmed rumor."

Phil looked a little bothered when she stated it so calmly, but they are all in deep shit right now. This could be a plan to save her ass. Everyone seemed to be buying it.

"Okay, so it is said that Kaitlyn and Phil _might_ have had sexual relations _before_ AJ and Phil became an item," Heyman ascertained, tilting his head and frowning. "But due to what Miss Mendez has just stated, it honestly sounds like a bunch of he said she said. Eve must have overheard that nasty and very bogus rumor through the grapevine filled with make-up artist and caters. However, I can safely assure you that Mr. Brooks has never had relations with Miss Bonin, nor did he have one with AJ until now." Paul finished with a smile, knowing it all made perfect sense.

"Whatever," Hunter bluntly blurted out. "I really don't give a damn about who is screwing around, kissing or sharing a soda with whom. All I know is that it needs to stay out of the work place or resolved off the clock. The next time something else like this happens, and _any_ of you are involved, your ass is mine. Understood?"

Everyone agreed silently while Hunter pulled out a paper memo.

"Can I go now? I really don't feel like being here," AJ moaned wretchedly, still not looking at anyone in the room as Hunter nodded.

"Eve, I have no choice but to suspend you and Kaitlyn for fighting," the CEO officially stated. Kaitlyn rolled her eyes and Eve frowned in objection while Hunter held up a hand, indicating that he wasn't done speaking yet. "Both of you will not be in the ring until Friday's house show. So the two of you need to head home or to your booked appearances until then. AJ and Alicia will take your places now."

That last tidbit of information caught the petite diva's attention as she looked confused, and Punk's wide grin to appear. "I'm sorry what?"

"I have a Divas Tag Match on the PPV card. You and Alicia are divas, so you have a match. You need to get out of here and rehearse how you're ending it in the ring for your team. It's not a pre-booked match so we'll have Nattie and Layla ask you in the segment to be your partner," Hunter said while looking around the desk still.

AJ didn't move her face or body, but inwardly, she was screaming with glee. She was gonna be back on TV tonight. And it was a PPV match, also. She didn't know what to do at that point. Should she jump up and kiss someone (Phil or Kaitlyn would likely be the preferred people.) or hug Hunter and Stephanie to death? She had of people at home to call, and a lot of followers on her Twitter to let them know about it. She only had eight hours until show time to do this and she excited about it.

"That was an order, AJ. Go, quickly," Hunter said sharply. AJ just nodded eagerly while getting up. Her legs were so numb from the amount of excitement she felt that she ended up tripping over the chair and hitting the floor. Punk and Paul both assisted AJ to her feet while looking concerned, but once she stood with her shoulders high and her head bobbing to confirm she was fine, they knew she was just over the moon about the change.

"I'm fine. I'm clumsy. You all know that," She matter-of-factly stated while looking at Paul still smiling infectiously. "I'm in the Pay Per View tonight," She exhaled. Heyman grinned back and then awed in shock when she hugged him surprisingly, making the situation a little lighter.

"AJ... go," Stephanie calmly called out while AJ broke away from him, and then waved at everyone before leaving the room.

Phil kept laughing while glancing around the room. "Look at you being an overdue Santa," He joked at Hunter while rubbing his hands on his sweats. "Now that this is done, I have to get ready for a match as well."

Paul placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him down and he frowned. "We aren't finished here," Laurinaitis rasped.

"What happened earlier involves her and we aren't pleased about it because nothing, and I mean do mean _nothing_, needs to involve her. This issue with her attack is a huge pain in the ass with everyone on her case about it. She's been through enough drama guys. Bringing her name into it was a horrible judgment," Hunter scolded to everyone else in the room.

"You are all close to April and you've been by her side ever since she was attacked. You should help us build this positive image for her, which isn't going to be easy under the circumstances," Stephanie added.

Kaitlyn sighed while glancing at Phil, who glanced back before looking at the ground speechless. "No more about this." Hunter concluded. "Be sure to work this out before next week, ladies. And as for you, Punk? Keep your dick in your pants and your business out the locker rooms if you can. Got it?" they didn't say anything so Hunter took that as a silent agreement by all parties involved. "Good. Now, get out."

Once they all entered the halls, Kaitlyn didn't even stop to talk on her way back to the trainers room and neither did Eve, who shoved pass Phil and John in anger. The guys sighed and were soon joined by Amy, Kofi and Layla.

"Kaitlyn and Eve aren't wrestling. AJ and Alicia are instead and both of them are headed home on a suspension," John spoke as Layla cursed.

"That sucks. But she did leave on hell of a mark on Kaityln's schnoz," Amy noted.

"Well, they dragged what happened into it so it's really my fault," Punk sighed. "Great, I don't know who to talk to first."

"I would wait on the scheme of mending fences until after the show. You have a huge match and a huge promo to cut," Paul mentioned.

"Ooh, joy oh boy," Punk moaned in a crabby tone. "See you all later." He walked away with Paul and Amy slowly, and then glanced at Amy with a pout.

She shook her head with a small smile. "She said she'll talk to you about how she feels when she's ready."

"You're supposed to be my BBF, Ames. She already has one…well, _had_… and she has Layla to talk to here. You can't help me out here?" He questioned.

"Doesn't count right now. I'm not getting involved in your relationship anymore," Amy stated.

"That's the best decision you've made in a long time," Punk muttered in return. Her fist smacked him in the arm as he cried out a painful laugh.

"I hope Dwayne is really stiff with his smacks tonight. Just so he can slap some sense back into your stupid ass," She retorted. "But, I'm glad you told her. Trust me when I say this: she's not mad at you."

"I hope not," Punk sighed. When he saw Amy look down at the floor, he raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you want to tell me? Cause, that's my girl. I mean, I could share…" She hit him again while playfully frowning as he chuckled. "I'm about to compete with Colt, but I know I don't mind beating you either."

"You don't stand a chance sweetheart. I'm her dream woman. Have been since she was ten," She defended while hugging his arm. "But you're welcome jerk."

* * *

_The Royal Rumble from the US Airway Center_

_Phoenix, AZ_

_8:40pm _

AJ kept shaking her hands and calming her nerves when she reached that oh so familiar ramp hall to the entrance way down in the gorilla position. She missed being here. All the times Daniel would tell her what to look out for and learn before his matches; all the times she laughed with Kaitlyn before going out there; all the times Punk told her to just go with the flow in her segments made her feel good about being there. She was back, and better than ever. She just wanted everyone to see it.

She even jumped up and down, but then started skipping back and forth. This was it. Eight months in therapy, training in some old gym in San Juan and some MMA lessons all lead up to this. Her first PPV match ever. Not as a valet or an interference, but as an actual wrestler. She needed to prove to them she was better than before and ready for more.

"Go hard or go home" as the saying went.

"You'll drain yourself out if you keep doing that."

She stopped once she saw Phil approaching her. He walked up to her as she just lowered her head, tucking her hair behind her ears nervously. He placed his belt on a chair nearby and he stepped closer to her, placing his hands on her shoulders and rubbing them. "Just keep your feet moving. I know you know how. You're small and fast. But don't let Alicia catch you. She knows counters and I know you guys rehearsed, but just look enthusiastic." She nodded and he pinched her cheek. "You okay?"

"I'll be better when I kick some heel ass," She boastfully said, placing her hands on her hip as Alicia walked by with Aksana and Tamina, playfully sticking her tongue at AJ as she made her way to the ring. "But thank you."

"No problem," Punk responded, but then sighed with a small frown on his face.

"I'm still sorry about what happened. I broke a promise to you. I shouldn't have-"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," AJ interrupted. She did not need this on her mind right now, especially at _this_ crucial moment. "Let's just get through the night ahead. I'd rather talk about this somewhere else anyway when I'm ready. And you should be focused on you much with Rock."

"I know. I just wanted to see you go out there."

She nodded as he nodded to Layla, who was waiting for her.

"I'm real proud of you Apple Jacks. Just remember, they paid to see you, babe. I'll be watching."

She smiled at his comforting words. Then, she closed her eyes when he placed a kiss on her forehead, walking away and smiling himself as the producers called her up with to get ready Layla and Natalya.

And after that, it was showtime...

* * *

How will the New AJ do in the ring? And what will she and Sheamus do about their cheating beaus? And will CM Punk have it all or lose it all after his match with the Rock. We'll have to wait and see... haha.

Thanks Maizeandbluekid again for looking this over, and to icebabesfire for all her help with this story as well. I finally joined all the madness RedFoxy has created over at the Punk's Locker Room forum, and you should too. Look for me : _CrazyRun_

Until next time dears. Besos.


	20. Change of Plans Pt 2

I own nothing… Just your love! 'Mwah' This is a repost because the other chapter was too short and the site was being wacky, but it's all good.

(I almost gave Sam CF a heart attack when she couldn't see, so please check on my love, see if she's better after reading this. Sorry for scaring you! *mwah*) Enjoy and tell me what you think!

* * *

_The Royal Rumble from the US Airway Center_

_Phoenix, AZ_

_"Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is the Royal Rumble here at the sold out US Airways Arena in Phoenix, Arizona and to catch you all up, Smackdown General Manager Booker T made this match earlier during the Pre-Show," Cole mentioned as the match went on, with Alicia placing AJ in a sleeper hold. "It's Aksana, Alicia Fox, and Tamina Snuka against Natayla, Layla, and the returning AJ Lee. King, this is AJ's first time back in eight long months."_

_"That's right, Michael. Now, Daniel Bryan said he's been helping AJ with her skills for the past few weeks. So now, it's time to see how much AJ's learned as Alicia locks this sleeper on," King commented._

* * *

_"_C'mon AJ," Primo muttered to himself as he watched backstage with Epico and Rosa. As her former mentor and pro in NXT, and mentor in WWC, respectively, this match had the tag team on edge. Epico's legs bounced high with anxiety, and Primo couldn't stop yelling in excitement. He wasn't the only one watching eagerly. Sheamus and Kofi, along with Cena, Zack Ryder and a couple of others watched from a single TV backstage.

"How's she doing?" John asked as he took an empty seat next to Zack.

"It started two minutes ago. Alicia's dominating so far, but AJ looks great," the spiky-haired Long Island native commented.

Meanwhile, back in the ring, AJ was able to power out of the hold, so Alicia then tried to throw her into the ropes. AJ tossed her instead, and then hooked her into a successful arm drag. After AJ lifted Alicia to her feet and sent her into the ropes again, she quickly run to the opposite end of the ring before bouncing off the ropes via a handspring broad, and knocked Alicia back down with a back elbow clothes line.

"Yes!" Primo yelled with a whistle as everyone watched on.

_"Look at that!" Cole exclaimed. "AJ showing great explosiveness and energy with that clothesline. She goes for the pin and a kick out at two."_

AJ then began to kick Alicia as she started to stir up. And she kept kicking…and kicking…and kicking. Chest, legs, back, everywhere. To add momentum to entertainment, AJ, Layla, and Natalya kept yelling _"Yes!" _zealously, clapping their hands every time she kicked, and getting the crowd behind her. Then AJ, with rigorous energy ran to the ropes and sprung off them with focused intensity, and hit Alicia with a shining wizard.

* * *

"She's doing great," Phil chuckled out while warming up in the trainer's room for his match, observing AJ's match with great intrigue. She and the other girls were working hard. Layla as her fun and quick moving self, and Nattie being the hard body grappler she's was raised to be. He found the match to be pretty good, but it was AJ, who was showcasing some of her new moves and flying around the other divas, is what really caught his eye.

Late in the match, Tamina tried to distract the ref as AJ had Alicia pinned on the canvas. AJ, recognizing the Tamina's shady actions, tilted her head with a chaotic glare towards her direction, and then slowly walked to where Tamina stood. The exotic Diva then shoved AJ back as she yelled at her. Then, out of nowhere, it seemed, AJ delivered one of the absolute hardest slaps her five fingers could have ever mustered up for to Tamina.

The force of the blow, as well as the sheer shock of the moment, caused the 2nd-generation brute to fall off the ropes and crash to the floor, gazing up at AJ with a very surprised look on her face. Soon, Natalya and Layla ran over to knock Aksana off the apron and continue the battle outside.

"What the hell was that?" Phil asked, seeming genuinely surprised as well at what just occurred. "I mean, talk about a real slap in the kisser."

"It's a setup," Amy, who was in the room with Punk, answered with a huge grin gracing her features.

"A setup for what?"

* * *

After Alicia tried to sneak up from behind for a roll up, AJ quickly countered it to a roll up of her own, which Alicia was able to kick out of. AJ stood up to deliver a spinning heel kick that connected flush with Alicia's face, sending the ruby-haired diva down to the mat in a near unconscious heap.

With Alicia on her back and close to the ropes, and the other Divas still brawled outside the ring, AJ now knew she had her chance.

_"This is it, April," _She thought to herself before gripping onto the top rope.

After taking a deep breath, she jumped high, and swung her legs over the top rope, landing both her tights on the rope and flipping herself over, achieving a moonsault right onto Alicia.

A move so quick, so clean, so impressively athletic, and so unexpected, it actually got the crowd to applaud her in amusement, Hearing the fans cheer and chant her name as she pinned Alicia for the win made AJ's night beyond great.

Layla and Natalya helped her out the ring before Tamina could attack her, then hugged her and raised her hands collectively in victory. She loved every second of it. This was her love. Her passion. She worked so hard to come back and have matches and moments like this.

She wanted more of this.

She finally felt stronger and she was far from the weak girl who was almost destroyed that night eight months ago.

April Jeanette Mendez was for once, at peace.

* * *

"So, you think she should have shot at the title?" Hunter asked Vince with a curious expression on his face, wondering what his Father-in-Law's reaction would be. He stood up with Stephanie, Amy and Heyman in the media room, watching the match as well. As it progressed, Vince showed up, and Hunter decided to present Amy's idea to the Chairman of the Board, and CEO of the company.

It didn't surprise them that he was for it. The shock factor in this happened to be his choice for how it would all blow off.

"I favor it, yes," Vince agreed. "The division needs more bodies to compete. And from what I've seen of AJ is that she's better than ever, has more energy than ever, and now she has new moves on her set that are very impressive."

"Yeah but… think about what she's going through right now," Hunter tried to reason. "I don't think giving her the title because she's in the middle of controversy is a good thing."

"Well, why not? She's clearly not worried about it. She's more focus on working."

"Vince," Hunter sighed as Vince waited for him to find a legitimate negative reason. Amy and Paul both noticed how Hunter couldn't do that. The Chairman was right. "I think she just needs to slow down. She just got back."

"That's all the more reason to get her a chance at the title in my opinion," Paul injected as Hunter inhaled sharply.

"I didn't ask for it for your input, Paul," the COO sneered as Heyman just responded with a sharp smile.

"Look, you guys came to me with an idea, and whether or not she can win in her home area is up to you. However, she did impress the crowd tonight. The more she's in the ring and on TV, wrestling or not, the better she gets," Vince explained as Amy bit her lip nervously. "I respect any decision you guys make, you know that. But AJ is something different we haven't had in a long while. She deserves a push forward."

After a pat on the back for his son in law, Vince nodded at his assistant to leave with him.

"Let me know what you're going to do. Good luck."

As Vince walked away and back outside, Hunter turned back to Amy and Stephanie as she shrugged. "So, are we're going to green light this?" Stephanie asked with a hint of anxiety in her voice.

After a few seconds, Hunter nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah, we're doing it."

Amy smiled with Stephanie as Hunter soon quickly put up a hand. "We'll let them know how it's starting tomorrow night. She can win that to lead the series. I still want her to be involved in this storyline with John for the time being and I need her to do promotional work for WrestleMania. You have to revise this thing so the ending comes that way."

"I can still have Vickie, Tamina and Eve in the story line with Kait. But if anyone else decides to get involved, it still needs to be good," Stephanie stated decisively "I don't want that happened with Trish and Snooki a couple of years ago. It can't be that kind of match again."

"Oh, trust me, neither do I," Hunter nodded as Amy hid her smile. "But the smack talk should be good enough. I have some plans in the works to get Dolph away from Vickie, so this works out. Now even though I only want a one on one match in the end, an enforcer is still needed."

Stephanie looked to Amy with a shine of hope, then turned to her husband and asked,

"Any chance we can get her involved in the match instead?"

"Whoa! No way boss," Amy answered teasingly, with her hands up in a defensive shield.

"But, I'll look good ringside and I can drop a moonsault on the heel for pissing me off."

Hunter shrugged with a smile as everyone laughed. "Good enough. But either way, AJ will be on top. And I think it's better we make the match happen the next night in the Izod Center. We're still in New Jersey so, the small home state crowd will be better."

"I don't think so, honey," Stephanie politely disagreed. "I think with a girl who is over like AJ is right now with the crowd, and with the circumstances surrounding her lately, what better way to cap off her comeback by letting her have her biggest moment on the biggest stage. While it would still be nice to have her win the belt at the Izod, having it done in front of 90,000 people in MetLife would make it more memorable."

After hearing that brief plea from his wife, Hunter had a thoughtful look on his face as he pondered what Stephanie just said.

"You know, Steph? You might be onto something there," he conceded. "We'll see how things change and come together between now and Mania."

"Okay, hon. I need to get to work with the promo," Stephanie said. She then turned to Amy and said, "We'll talk again later, OK?" before giving her a kind, tender hug. Amy then made her way out the room with Heyman closely behind her.

Once they walked far out of earshot, Amy gushed with a huge smile as she turned to Paul. He snickered as she pointed to him.

"Don't do that Paul."

"Do what?"

"You know what. Don't read my mind. I know what you're thinking and that's not why I suggested the Divas Cup tournament for a #1 contender at WrestleMania. Everyone is gonna think AJ won because she was simply better, not because she's Punk's ray of sunshine."

He shrugged while shaking his head. "I wasn't thinking that."

"Then I guess you heard about the offer she made…", the red head concluded.

"I did, actually," Paul confirmed with a smirk on his face. "AJ wants you to train her so the story line you have with her for WrestleMania is actually real. I admire it. That's all the more reason you need to get back in the ring where you should be."

"Paul, my days of taking bumps in the ring are long over," Amy said somberly.

"Oh, I'm not sure about that. AJ surely doesn't think so, and everyone is rooting for a top former diva to make her return."

Amy sighed as he walked back into Punk's locker room. She spotted AJ skipping down the halls, covered in sweat but with a glowing smile on her face after just getting through with her match. Amy ran over to AJ, and the little brunette spitfire was more than happy to see her idol at that moment.

"Hey there superstar!" Amy shouted as AJ entered the back beaming. They both hugged joyously and AJ just giggled, still feeling the high from her match.

"That was really good for your first night back," Amy praised.

"Really? I feel like I took the first jump too early and I almost slipped on the ropes," AJ exhaled.

"No, you just need to time yourself better. More practice. It was your first time and you didn't think you'd have your match on TV. So just keep rehearsing it. Now hurry up so you don't miss your segment with John." She nodded to the producer.

"Okay. I'll see you later!" AJ yelled while running over to him and John, who hugged her also. Amy felt good about seeing AJ in the element and feeling great about herself.

She finally felt like a proud mama, but her work was far from done.

* * *

"So you're really just going to wrap it up with her? That's it?"

Wade frowned while talking to Sheamus and William Regal outside the arena after the show. He had just finished hearing his friend described what Kaitlyn had told him, how the girl would cry and in a gut wrenching manner, explain what she did, and almost did, with Punk, and he of course was very upset to hear of it, but the sadness of his best mate concerned him even more.

"She only made out with Punk, so you're gonna end it? Just like that?"

"What else should I do about it, Wade?" Sheamus asked in an exasperated way. "The lass kept this secret hidden away from me for months!"

"I get that. But you mean to tell me that is the ultimate deception for you? It was one stupid kiss, mate."

"But fella._ He's _not in the relationship with Kait, _I_ am. She shouldn't have gone to him if she was so upset."

"Ah-ha, so now the reason for your discontent is coming to surface. You're just jealous," Regal surmised with a wry smile as Stephen merely scoffed. "She had a moment with a guy before she made you her boyfriend. You two didn't really become an item until November. You two were just fooling around and dating."

"That's doesn't matter, Will. She had me. And she still went to Punk about AJ."

"Wait, she was bitter over AJ leavin'?" William asked with intrigue, thinking of his past conversations with Phil after AJ left.

"Okay, look, I can understand why this is such a bother. But you should understand what they've been through together. They were bonding of something emotional for one moment. She's been coming to you for months when she's happy. She doesn't want to be around you sad anymore. That's the difference."

"I know but…I just can't forget that."

"Oh please. I know you, man," Wade interjected blatantly. "If she's not that important to you, you wouldn't be stressing this out. You'd just forget about her and move on. But you're all sad and bitter and pissed off because deep down, you're in love with the girl."

Those words made Sheamus glare his way, not wanting to hear about that right now.

"Look, Stephen. All's I'm saying is, you've had your share of skeletons in the closet before. At least respect her for telling you the truth. She could have continued things with him, but she didn't. And she didn't because she loves and cares about you, and her friends. And now, she's on the way back to Tampa right now with a broken nose, a lost friendship and a broken guilty heart."

Stephen sighed while digging his hands into his jacket. He didn't know what to do about this. He really did care about Kaitlyn. His life on the road just seemed much better with her in it. But this deception on her part hurt him deeply. He was so disappointed in her and he felt like he failed in keeping her sane when AJ left.

He failed Kaitlyn the way Punk felt like a failure to AJ.

"Look mate," William patted his shoulder while talking. "We aren't defending her to spite. We're just reasoning with you. Just talk to her and tell her how you feel. No one in this world is perfect. It was one stupid accident that I'm sure won't ever happen again. Kaitlyn is a great girl with a great personality and a good heart. And you have that same kind of heart. Whether you want to take her back and work on things is completely up to you, chap."

His head hit the concrete wall softly as he sighed. "I know, fella. I just don't know how. My head is still whirling about this."

"You could just have them book you in a match with Punk," Wade said nonchalantly, not catching that interested gaze from Stephen as he rambled on.

"Do it how its done in our world."

William caught the look and shook his head frowning when Sheamus began to slowly nod with grim understanding. "Stephen…"

"I'll be right back." He rushed in the building with the interesting look, not giving anyone a chance to talk to him.

William shook his head at Wade, who shrugged with his frown. "What?"

"Hope you're happy with awakening the sleeping Celtic dragon. Y'know how he is when he's all winded up, and Hunter's his best mate here. That match is going to happen now, and there's going to be an issue," William warned with his finger waving.

Wade snorted. "Trust me. Sheamo needs to let it out on the tattooed bastard. One good match will do the trick. Once he does that, he'll be back to Kaitlyn, friends with Punk and everything will be fine."

"For everyone else's sake," Regal said as he stared after the direction where Sheamus had gone. "I hope your right, Wade. I really hope your right."

* * *

As he stared down at himself, panting and sweating profusely after the weary match he had with Dwayne, he thought about how ecstatic he should be at this moment.

He beat the Rock. The man of the People; the brahma bull; the most electrifying man in sports-entertainment. Tonight, the man who brought the millions and millions in the WWE universe to their feet faced the wrath of his knee. After Punk connected that GTS, the Rock surprisingly kicked out of it.

Frustrated, the Straight Edge superstar slapped the Anaconda Vise on him harshly, and once the so-called People's Champ tapped his hand on the mat, Paul jumped to joy as the bell rang and it all hit Punk. He actually did what few have done.

He did it clean with no help. The belt he fought so hard to keep was still in his hands. This is a great feeling. He was officially his own legend. Yet, when Layla entered the bus alone and not with the other shorty in his life, his good mood turned sour.

"So, she's not riding with me?" Phil asked as Layla just shook her head.

"Not to Las Vegas, at least. She'd rather stay with me then travel early with Naomi and Cameron."

She briefed him on AJ's decision as she packed up her stuff. Punk looked at Amy and Kofi with a slightly amused smile.

"It's just four hours. She can't be on a bus with me for that long?" Layla huffed, sighing in a stressful way as Punk frowned.

"She can't ride with me at all?"

"Phil, there's more to it and you're not being fair."

"Fair about what Layla?" he stood up with his hands open. "Look, I understand that I really, really fucked up. I feel like a complete sack of shit for hurting her. But how can I fix it if she won't meet me halfway?"

"She can't do that if she's still confused on what to do," Layla reasoned. "She's blue about this and she feels the need to think things through. You of all people should understand that and respect this. This whole thing is screwed up. She's upset with you and Kaitlyn. You're upset period. Kaitlyn and Stephen broke up this morning so clearly he knows about it, not to mention that she and Eve fought earlier."

"This is all on me. And I want to fix it. I need to," Phil pleaded.

"You will. Just wait. I know you hate being away from her and trust me, she hates it too. But you and AJ need to learn how to be without each other sometimes. She's not going to stay to long when she's away. She left before and came right back to you. Whether she's your friend or your lover, she'll never leave you. You're still the champ and you're still the one who holds her heart alright."

Layla gave him a small assuring smirk while lightly tapping his chin with her fist. "Buck up, Punk."

He couldn't help but grin lightly for Layla, a woman who could make a broke man gain hope at his worst time. She may be the fates angel since to reason with his demons, or just a really great friend. Layla, along with Barbie and Eve, had been his go-to girl since his days in ECW, so she was another great friend who was watching out for them.

"Fine. I guess it's fine. Her stuff is together in my room. And um..." he rubbed his chin as she frowned.

"Tell her I thought her hand spring broad elbow was perfect. So was her Arabian Press moonsult finisher."

Layla smiled with a nod. "I will. I'll see you in Vegas, okay?"

After Layla took her and AJ belongings with her, she waved to them all and exited the bus.

Phil laid back in his couch, just looking up at the minor lighting and caressing his title as Amy and Kofi looked hopefully at him.

"She's right," Amy said, breaking the silence. "Separation makes the heart grow fonder. A day or two should be fine."

"And AJ's not going to be away. Just not around you. But she'll be back," Kofi offered, hoping to cheer his friend up.

But Phil didn't say anything. He didn't care about anyone at the moment. AJ was gone…again. And having this shiny title in his lap didn't replace the feeling of angst in his heart. She left him because he messed up once again. Once a screw-up, always a screw up. Nothing could replace the emptiness she left in his heart, not even a landmark win such as this.

Amy sighed at her depressed best friend as Phil caressed her dog. Kofi was a little bewildered. He'd hardly seen Punk, a guy so strong look so weak, especially over a woman. AJ was really changing him, and she doesn't even see how.

"I need to fix this." Phil muttered. "I didn't work this hard to get her back just to lose her again."

* * *

Once Layla came back to her bus with her bags, she plopped down into the chair with a small sigh, sitting next with AJ, Nikki and Brie Bella as they supported her. John and Daniel sat across from the girls in AJ's room for the night after following Layla around.

"I knew he would say something about this," AJ muttered, observing Layla's body language, and estimated that Punk didn't like what he had been told.

"But what about tomorrow night? I mean, you can't avoid him forever," Nikki asked with a small smile.

"I know but, knowing him, he'll just be focused on the work for the night. He just beat Rock so he has to work towards his programs for Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania. He shouldn't be thinking about me."

"But he is," Daniel said, frowning along with AJ as he spoke his piece. "I know Punk. He's hardly sorry about most things but this…he really wants to fix things. Give him a chance to do so.."

"You should, AJ." John added with a soft smile. "But only when you're ready. No need for peer pressure."

She nodded. She felt everyone's eyes on hers and remembered everyone's advice about the situation. She was still recovering from one drama, and she didn't need another. She really did not want to leave Phil, or lose a close friend. But being with him wasn't right for her at this point. Or was it? She wanted something and it was bad for her to have, it seemed. She was just so confused about all of this, and it was breaking her heart all over again.

Her lips started to quiver as a tear fell from her eye, no longer able to hide the hurt she'd been feeling for the last two days.

"I'm doing this for myself, and it's the right thing to do, but that doesn't mean I feel better about it." she expressed out loud before sobbing, leaning onto Layla as the Bella twins hugged her. John looked at Daniel with concern, both at them at a loss for words as well.

With April 7th approaching them and a huge night in New Jersey in the cards, this was a huge bump on the long road ahead to WrestleMania.

* * *

The Road to Wrestlemania is going to be very unplanned, hard to navigate and bumpy. How will everyone handle it?

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, favored and liked my story. I actually received a very intimate and emotional message from a reader, telling me how they can relate to AJ's situation. I'm not going to talk about it, but this individual helped me write AJ's recovery and Phil's heroic role in this. If your reading this, you have no idea how much you've inspired me and if I could hug you, I'd squeeze you hard and let go on your command. I'm devoted to the story because it comes from real life events. This happens to people, and some don't get to tell there story due to fear, or simply because they didn't survive it. I know it's not like the other stories here, but I do my own thing as every one else should. Yet, I apperciate your support and I can't wait to reach the end with you.

...woah. That was alot. Thanks to icebabesfire and Maizeandbluekid for all your help in editing this story. I'm off to read up on heidipoo's Kaitmus and Punklee goodies, along with What Lies Beneath by xLifeFullOfLaughterx (Its like...number one in the CM Punk fics on this site. Most reviewed and it's awesome. So...like...read it.) I have a ton of favorite author that write kick ass stories like this one, so check them out. Or join me in the Punk's Locker Room forum, created by RedFoxy! The link is in my bio.

Besos!


	21. Change of Plans Pt 3

_I own nothing._

* * *

_Monday Night Raw from Las Vegas, NV _

_1/28/2013_

"Oh, my God, AJ, you did great out there!" Aksana happily stated as she squeezed the tiny brunette in a tight hug. She had just spent the past couple of minutes gushing with Layla, Nattie, Cameron and Naomi in the back about AJ's match against Tamina. She was booked to battle Tamina for the night to open up Round One of the Divas Cup Tournament, a tournament that would help find the next #1 contender to challenge Eve, when all of a sudden, Tamina's new manager Vickie Guerrero decided to spin the wheel for them.

And fortunately-or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at the situation-the point landed on the Submission Match.

Everyone in attendance now became worried for AJ's well-being, with her being in such a physically grueling match that would prove to be taxing on the body, especially with a brute such as Tamina against someone like AJ, who wasn't exactly the biggest person in the room.

The fans also feared that AJ's momentum from the Royal Rumble would be lost once she entered the ring with the Chaotic Exotic Diva, but even with Tamina dominating her for most of the match with her sheer size and strength, the fans and roster could see that A.J had been doing some homework on her division.

A.J. countered most of Tamina's power moves with trips and kicks, showcasing her advantages in speed and agile quickness, doing everything she could to avoid getting caught and slammed, or put in a tortuous submission hold. And after having her experiences with Nattie and her Sharpshooter, she vowed to herself she wouldn't be put in such a predicament ever again.

After A.J. used an inverted Stomp Facebreaker on Tamina, she dropped down to the mat and, to the surprise of everyone in the arena, began to apply the Koji Clutch to Tamina. Because the move had caught her off guard, as well as the unbearable pain as a result of the excellent pressure AJ was applying, the daughter of the Hall of Famer "Superfly" had no choice but to tap out, making A.J. the winner and causing Vickie to unleash an ear-splitting shriek, clearly indicating that the self-proclaimed "Cougar in Charge" was unhappy with the result.

As AJ made her way backstage, people kept praising her on a job well done, and even though she liked the amount of attention, she wanted to call it a night and get some well-deserved sleep.

"I know. It was so awesome being out there, and the crowd was surprisingly into it. I loved it," AJ nodded, responding well to Aksana's praise.

"Well, everyone loved it. If anyone didn't know about you then, they will definitely be watching now," Layla chimed in while playfully nudging her.

"Okay, a good night calls for a good celebration so we should hit up the best restaurant here in Las Vegas to celebrate your comeback," Rosa stated as she entered the group.

"Where can we go? There's so many places to get a bite to eat out here," AJ slightly frowned in confusion.

Rosa anticipated that, and sounded very excited when she shouted, "The Sugar Factory!"

The girls seemingly liked that choice, as their cheers filled up the room as a result. AJ held her hand up and shook her head with a smile.

"Come on, guys. No, there's no need for that. I really just want to go sleep this off."

"What? No, chica." Rosa said as she wrapped her arm around her shoulder. "You're back, we're on our way on the road to Mania, and we want to celebrate that."

"What we need to do is get AJ dressed up with those wrist things and cute punk rock dress, and go out for about two hours," Alicia stated. "Since John won the Rumble and it's Sheamo's birthday, and since Wade and John want him to get off his breakup funk…"

Layla shook her head in a flurry to quickly stop Alicia from saying that next point, as to help avoid any mention of Kaitlyn. Rosa picked up on that as well, and decided to go in another direction with her convincing words.

"He's asking a few people close to him to come and have a late dinner," the Puerto Rican beauty said when regarding Stephen, but AJ shook her head as Rosa kept talking. "Come on, AJ. You can stay close to us girls and enjoy yourself a little."

"Oh, I don't know," AJ lowly said with a bit of a whimper, still torn on what to do.

"Look, sweetie. I know you don't drink, but they have tons of sweets and treats you love. Like Dulce de Leche Cupcakes and Ice cream sundaes." Rosa mentioned with a teasing smile.

The mere mention of those two specific treats caused AJ's brown eyes to light up. "Oh, you are so evil for even bringing that up," she exhaled as Rosa kept beaming at her. "They have virgin drinks, right?" Rosa nodded and AJ raised her hands with a smile.

"Okay, I'm in."

They all cheered while AJ laughed.

"She's coming out with us tonight? I love this new April!" Naomi said to AJ while hugging her tightly.

"Okay, we should get ready and meet with the guys there. They have a candy store that we have to stop in," Layla instructed as they all started to get ready with makeup, hairspray and other things they brought along with them. AJ let Layla set her up with a few touches as they talked away from the group.

"So, listen. Have you thought about what you're going to do about… you know who 1 and 2?" she whispered as she kept going.

"No, Lay. Not tonight. I still need to think things over," AJ explained.

Layla sighed in disappointment. "I know it's a bit messy, but I think you should just tell them how you feel or what you want to do."

AJ nodded as Layla finished up. "Well, now that you mention it, I was really thinking about taking a break from Phil."

Layla as you could expect, looked extremely surprised and shocked at what she had just heard. But AJ had anticipated that, and quickly her hand went up. "It's just for a few months."

"You left him here for a few months. Now you don't want to be with him at all?" the British diva questioned.

"I just want friends, Layla. Getting into a relationship isn't the right thing for me to do now. This proved it."

"No. What it proved was that Punk lost his mind without you around, love," Layla countered. "So did Kaitlyn. They made a mistake. Everyone does."

"I know, trust me, I do. But it still hurts Lay."

Layla sighed sadly. "If it didn't, then I'd be worried about your emotional well-being. But now that I know you're human, just take the time to figure this out. Don't make the choice until you've gotten to know the pros and cons of it. I just don't want the last happy moments you've had with him to mean nothing."

"Well, it'll be tough, Lay, but I guess I can do that, at least. I'm still not ready to talk to them yet though."

Layla nodded merely nodded, acknowledging and accepting AJ's answer.

"Okay. Don't even think of it tonight, darling. Let's just go out and have some light fun," Layla smiled with her before looking at her phone. "I'm going to find Wade and tell him we're coming."

AJ took a deep breath as Layla placed the phone to her ears. She made a valid point, and so did Amy. Maybe what they did had logic behind it. Maybe she needed to stay away from them until she wanted to know.

She had a lot of maybes and not enough reasons to say yes or no.

* * *

Punk held his title high as he walked backwards up the stage, looking at his Elimination Chamber opponents Ryback, John Cena, Team Hell No, and last but not least, The Rock as they enviously eyed the champion and Paul Heyman leaving. The repeated constant cry of "BEST IN THE WORLD" left Paul's lips while he snickered at the losers in the ring. Then he watched as the lights went out in the arena, and when they came back on, The Shield was in the ring, brawling with the men as the show went off the air.

Once he entered the back, Paul patted him on his shoulder and Amy handed him a towel. His night was great once again, and he still didn't feel like celebrating. Not yet, at least. Then his eyes landed on the one person he wished he could embrace over the luck in their lives.

But AJ didn't even throw a glance in his direction. Part of that was due to Layla and Rosa quickly ushering her outside the building with the rest of the girls piling behind them.

"Hey man." Kofi greeted him with a bro hug as Punk nodded their way.

"What's up with the Diva train?"

"Oh, they're headed out for a dinner party. Its Sheamo's birthday. I'm actually going to stop by and buy the man a pint," Kofi pointed to his button up and vest with a smile.

"Enjoy the booze." He sneered as Kofi snickered, but suddenly grabbed his shoulder as he started to walk away.

"Hey. If she's going, then…"

"Don't worry, man. Daniel and John are with her. Layla and I will be watching her like two hawks. I'll make sure they make it back safely. If anyone gets out of hand, we'll take care of it," he assured his friend before waving them off. "I'll see you at 3 A.M. so we can travel to San Jose."

Phil nodded while his road wife joined the group. "You wish you could join them?" Amy asked as she stood next to him.

He snickered. "Yeah, right. Stephen wants to kick my fucking teeth in right now. I'll pass."

"Don't worry about it Champ. Everything will be fine." Paul assured him.

He shook his head in response, clearly tired of everyone lying to him. "No, it's not. Not right now Paul."

"But it will," Paul frowned. "You've never giving up on a battle or lost a war Punk. Hey, Look at me." The champion looked at his mentor with tired eyes and Paul pointed to his chest. "You've always gone after what you want, including the title that you hold in your hand right now. Don't let her be the only exception. You fight for her if she is what you really want."

Punk was actually shocked by how keen Paul used his words. He expected him to denounce AJ completely; remind him that she's not worth the stress and that he needed to move on. This must be Paul his friend speaking, and not Paul the manager.

He nodded weakly as Amy agreed with Paul. "There's one why you can try," Amy spoke up with a small smile. "Are you busy before Friday?"

* * *

The Sugar Factory

Las Vegas, NV

AJ observed the good crowd around her as they enjoyed a late night dinner. Everyone was laughing, drinking, eating and just having a good time. The group took a few photos for the restaurants press and AJ, along with most of the girls, ended up buying tons of candy and treats for the holiday ahead.

Stephen even cracked a smile as his birthday pints kept coming during the night, and if his funk wasn't letting him down, he needed to let loose just a little.

AJ sipped on her Cookie Jar Milkshake and enjoyed a plate of over baked Mac and Cheese while sandwiched between Layla and Stephen in the long booth. John, Daniel and the Bellas sat across from them, making her giggle and laugh with their jokes and stories. Wade even ordered Stephen a huge sundae to sing happy birthday over.

Still, he felt empty without Kaitlyn, just as AJ still felt empty without Phil. She was still bothered over everything they did, and Stephen could easily see that, and understandably sympathize with her on that regard.

"You alright, lass?" he leaned into her ear after sipping his beer, getting a weak okay from her in return.

"Yeah, I was just thinking of the east coast trip, and what I just brought."

"Why? I thought you liked giving your family gifts."

"Well, I also brought something for all the guys in my life… including him," She muttered in shame, giving Stephen a peek at the shopping bag filled with Red Sour Cherries, Red Starbursts in a bag and Strawberry Sour Belt candy.

"I even ordered four cupcakes. How weak am I?"

Stephen smiled with a hand open shrugged. "You know who loves Chocolate Covered Gummi Bears and Unicorn lollipops?" AJ awed as he nodded in defeat. "I was planning on doing something for VDay, anyway. I couldn't help myself either. I might give it to her. I don't know why I did it."

"We miss them," She said, shrugging with her own pout. "Are you going to talk to her?"

"Yeah, when I don't feel like kicking his teeth down his throat. You know, on your behalf and her." She nodded, understanding what he meant.

"I'm kinda happy it didn't go further than it could have, according to what they said at least. And they told us. Even if it meant nothing to them, they knew it would mean a lot to us." AJ reminded him.

"I know. And the more I think about it, the more I just think about what in their heads made them do it, or why they even felt the need to do it. What made them so depressed about all this?"

"Maybe we should just talk to them," AJ said, seeing Stephen looking upset again.

"We'll see. Hopefully, we can get things worked out," He guessed, patting his hand over AJ's as she nodded.

"I never realized how empty it felt without her around; or without Punk here. No matter what's going on, it feels weird that they aren't here," He opined.

"We're just hopeful suckers, I guess," She stated, tilting her drink with his, toasting with his beer before taking another sip. "To the Hopelessly Devoted."

* * *

Phil stayed up in his hotel room, his copy of Age of Ultron comic in hand as he anxiously stared at the clock in his room. It was 1:50 a.m. and Kofi still had not shown up yet, and he didn't get a call from them. The thought of AJ out with the wild bunch as they partied like college kids, not caring about how uncomfortable she might feel being with them as they drank and acted out, bothered him. Really bothered him.

He couldn't sleep without her around-not like he could sleep in the first place, anyway-but now he wanted to get up and look for them himself. He just wanted to see if AJ was okay.

He winced at the horrible rendition of the REO Speedwagon classic 'Keep on Loving You', and then realized whose voices were behind the melody. He literally jumped out of bed and made a beeline for the door. He knew where Layla's room was, so once he was able to locate it and step inside, he saw her singing with a huge drunken smile on her face, and AJ helping her into bed, which made his nerves relax. AJ was okay and Layla was clearly intoxicated with a 80s song in her head.

"Oh, God, Layla, shut up," AJ moaned while helping Layla into bed, hearing Wade and Kofi snicker as the British diva kept right on singing. "This isn't funny, guys. I told you she was gonna be drunk after one huge drink."

"It's called a Goblet for a reason. She wanted to be a big girl and finish it off all on her own, so that's on her," Wade teased, and then waved her off. "Good luck with that. See you in the morning." He left and Phil took the chance, walking over to the room and standing with Kofi as AJ just helped Layla get comfy.

"Party's over huh?" he asked, smiling as AJ jumped up to face him. She still looked uncomfortable around him, but he understood why. She really did spend the night avoiding him.

"Sorry we woke you up," she said while taking off her jacket and sitting on her bed.

"It's fine. I wasn't sleeping. I was, uh, worried," He confessed, making her snort out a skeptical smile for him.

"Thanks. And I had fun. Layla can tell you what she remembers later."

"Cool. That's alright with me," Phil responded, and Kofi nodded with him. The dreadlocked high-flyer looked at the pair, feeling his cue to exit, stage left had just arrived.

"Alright, I'm hitting the hay. I'm tired and we have to travel early. So I'll meet you at the bus, Punk. Goodnight AJ." He said, patting Phil's shoulder, leaving them alone for the moment.

"So, how did it go?" Phil asked while leaning against the wall, watching AJ move around. "Did Sheamo have a good bitching session about me?"

"We didn't talk about you. At least, not a lot." AJ just shook her head, causing Punk to frown.

"We just… want to figure this all out. I still have questions to ask."

"Well, then, ask away."

AJ sat on her bed comfortably while talking to him. "I just feel like we rushed things." He frowned as she shook her head. "I mean, you keep a lot of feelings you have bottled in, and you keep a lot of things from me still. I can't handle it, Phil," she stated.

"You're afraid to be with me?" he curiously asked.

"I'm not." She bit her lips once he took a seat beside her.

"But still, I can't help but ask this: why didn't you just tell me how you felt about me leaving or anything else that happened when I left?"

He huffed out a confused chuckle. "I tried to stop you, AJ." She blinked harshly as he shook his head. "I told you exactly why you should stay. I told you who wanted you to be here. I begged you and you still left. I was mad-pissed, in fact-at you for leaving."

He bit his lip from yelling as she sighed. "I was very upset. But after thinking it over, I felt proud. I was proud of you because even if you were still scared, you were still willing and able to take that huge step for your recovery. I let you go so you could become your own person and come back as one."

"I know. I did get better. And I wanted to come back to you and then this happened. Why, Phil? I mean, why Kaitlyn? Why?"

"I… I think that's something you and I should talk about alone," Punk said, seeing Layla tossing back and forth in her bed. AJ bowed her head as he kept talking. "I love you. I want to be with you because I want to, and I want to help you because I care about you."

"Look, Punk. I want to be with you because I like you, not hide for protection. But at the same time, I need to be 100% ready before I start dating you," AJ admitted.

At that moment, Phil's heart sank very low. "This is it," he thought. This is where he thought the worst would now happen. A break up; a break apart; Either way you sliced it, they were over. The reality sinking in that he was losing her, which made even more sick to his stomach.

Or maybe…

"I'm not just some guy you met on the street AJ," he stated, placing his hand over hers as he locked eyes with her. "I meant what I said to you on New Year's Eve. I love you."

"And I love you too. I know you mean that, Phil."

"I hope so."

Her eyes never left his as he caressed her cheek softly. "I'll try to open up a little more. You can talk to me about anything, and I'll tell you what's on my mind from time to time," he said in a shaky breath, feeling the soft skin underneath his thumb.

He had to control his demons around her. He just wanted to touch her, pull her into a hug and hold her close. Every time her lips moved, he wanted to kiss her passionately, just to feel her petite and indulgent frame melt in his arms.

He was literally fighting these feelings, and it was getting even more difficult by the minute. However, he would control himself, and he do it for AJ; only if it would, at the very least, make her feel better. He had to knock his crappy feelings aside for her.

"Is that what you want, April?"

She nodded. "I would like that. But if you don't want to…"

"No, no. I don't mind. I'll still be by your side when you need me. You know that."

The soft smile on her face made him feel a little better about this situation. "I should get some sleep. I have to travel to New Jersey alone in a few hours."

"Cool. I'll see you later then."

"You too, Punk."

He placed his hand over hers and shook it gently, not knowing how far he could go with her. This is normally the part where they both crash into bed together and fall asleep. With him being the comforting pillow he's turned into for her. But he knows he has to be respectful. He can't do what his heart desires right now and that sucked. Instead, he took a deep breath and stood up to leave the room.

"Have a good night's sleep, April." He said with a slight smile as he headed for the door.

"Wait, Phil…" she followed him to the door, holding a large bag from The Sugar Factory with an awkward blush gracing her features. "I know how much you love cupcakes and Starbursts. And since I never had the chance to congratulate you on your match with Rock, I thought I'd just give you a gift for your hard work so…"

After handing him the bag and watching him open it, AJ took great delight in seeing him moan at the scent of cherry and strawberry hitting him, it's heavenly smell tickling his nose. "I think I went overboard with all the red candy and…"

"I love it." he pulled out the bag of Strawberry Sour Belts with a chuckle, and then noticed the red velvet and vanilla cupcakes at the bottom. He gave her a wide grin and hugged her. "This is awesome. Thanks."

"You're welcome. I was just…thinking about you." They separated and he chuckled again.

"Guess we both had each other on the brain tonight."

"What?"

"Nothing. Get some rest and…I'll see you later, AJ."

He backed out the room and into the halls, leaving AJ puzzled as he re-entered his room.

With the bag on his table and a cupcake in his hand, his winning smirk never left his lips as he took a bite. She may not want to be with him right now, but she still has some interest in him. All he had to do is gain her complete trust again and be there for her.

* * *

If this chapter broke your heart, I will make you a dozen cupcakes. I promise.

Thanks to everyone who has helped make this story a joy to write with your reviews. If you like my writing, You should read my Valentine's fic, Trill Me, Chill Me, Fulfill Me. It's Smexy as Red Foxy deemed it. LOL A lot of us authors in the fandom and On fanfiction dot net write for our enjoyment and for your enjoyment. So please, respect our work with REVIEWS AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. I'm not as responsive as my other friends here when it comes to negativity that's not helpful. I just delete and block. : ).

Please review and I'll see you next time.


	22. I'll Stand By You

"Thanks for coming with me guys. I need all the support in the world to get through this interview." AJ said again as they rode through the busy, snow covered streets of New York City at seven am. It was PR day in the metro area for Wrestlemania 29 and she was linked with Kofi and Layla to do media and appearances for the day, along with conducting her first interview about her case.

"Don't be. I'm here for you as a friend. I told you I'm Punk with a better smile and nice boobs." Amy assured and patted AJ's shoulder with a relaxed smile. "Yes AJ, this means we are friends. Even if you decided to ditch the asshat."

"I'm not going to sit around this whole time and let you talk trash about my boy Dumas. That's my job." Colt snapped. He then wrapped his arm around AJ's shoulder and shook her gently. "And we're here to have your back…and to do some serious fun."

"Totally!" Layla yelled from her front seat next to Kofi. "After that, we need to shop at Dylan's Candy bar, find evening dresses in Saks and head to Times Square at night…." She inhaled sharply as Colt and AJ lead the looks of concern and delight. She turned to them slowly, smiling brightly and shrugged. "I love New York."

"We see that Layla." Colt said.

"Kofi, thanks for doing the interview with me. It means a lot to me that you all came." AJ repeated.

"You'll be fine after it's over." Kofi said as the car came to a complete stop. "We must be here." He said.

"Did your parents or family call you yet?" Layla asked as they all entered the building, signing in and getting badges for the day.

"Yeah, they said they will be listening." She confirmed. She called her sister to talk and she even found some relief in talking to John, Eve and Stephen when they called, promising to meet with her later on. "Everyone has been texting me all morning…almost everyone." The disappointed look on her face wasn't missed by Amy at all.

"You okay?" Amy asked as AJ took in a deep breath. Layla patted her back for support. The two people she really wanted to talk to weren't able to talk. It was driving her nuts. She kept checking her phone for a message from them both, yet nothing came.

"I was waiting for something….someone. But I guess it's not happening."

"He should have called." Colt spoke up with looking at his phone also. "Bastard. He's not answering me either."

"It's fine guys. I…pushed them away with everything. I don't except either of them to be here..." she stood up and smoothed out her outfit, trying her best not to cry. "I regret it."

"We know. But he'll call or something. I'm sure of it. Just focus on what you have to talk about in there." Amy coached.

AJ looked at her phone and frowned, then tilted her head with a light smile. _"No matter what you're going through, there's a light at the end of the tunnel and it may seem hard to get to it but you can do it and just keep working towards it and you'll find the positive side of things. Said by your favorite Disney vet, Demi Lovato."_ She read out loud while showing Layla. _"I'm listening online so I'm around. Kick this interview's ass. Chuck Norris style."_

"See, they still have your back." Colt said. "And yeah, you're going to punch this interview in the balls."

A producer approached AJ and Kofi with a light smile. "Ms. Mendez, Mr. Kingston. I'm Jay the intern…huge fan of you both by the way. I'm a Jersey kid myself."

"Awesome." She gushed.

"Ok, so you both have 45 minutes. Corporate sent us the approval on some questions so you can look at this." She took a paper from him as she talked. "Just remember the notes and only talk about what you want to talk about. Everything else is going to be about WrestleMania, journey to the WWE story and the Royal Rumble event coming up."

AJ and Kofi looked at their sheets as he kept talking. "Also, they still want AJ to conduct her own interview about the case."

She nodded calmly. "How much about the case?"

"Not much. Again, you answer what you want to answer." She nodded as he pointed to the room. They both took a seat and got comfortable as a photographer started taking photos of them. The one of the casters shook hands with her and Kofi.

"Hello guys. I'm Pete. Pleasure to finally meet you guys." Peter extended his hand and AJ nodded, remembering the reporter's interview with Punk and Daniel on his Video show. 'Today's gonna be great fun. Promise."

"Cool. Just go easy on me and I won't go slap happy. I promise." She playfully assured as the guys chuckled.

"Yeah man, she'll keep her hands down at all times." Kofi joked.

"Not a problem. You have your notes and you already know what I'm going to ask and per request, it's a recording that's not live so we can stop when you need to." She nodded and looked at Kofi, Amy and Layla with a light pout.

"We'll be right over there and this is for you. Kaitlyn told me to sneak this in Sunday." Layla placed a small pocket sized figure in her hand, 'Harrison' the one eyed Unicorn, and she snorted, "You'll be fine." After giving her a hug, Layla and Amy walked to the outside and watched from the one sided shield glass.

As she started briefing herself with Pete, her phone kept ringing. Once Peter sat in his chair, she finally got to stare at the ID. The name flashing across it made her heart pound harder. Not wanting to miss it, she quickly pressed the accept button, and then exhaled deeply as she placed it to her ears. Kofi flashed a look off concern her way, and then grinned once she mouthed Punk.

"_Hey."_ She heard him say softly.

"Hey." Kofi shrugged and pointed to the clock when she looked to him, totally at a lost for words. She had six minutes to hear him out. "For someone who always knows when it's time to do some clobbering, you sure are cutting it close to late."

"_I know. I had to think about whether or not a call from me would make things better. But then I remembered who your posse was for the day. They suck at comforting." _

She rolled her eyes amusingly. "You are the best at it."

AJ kept her smile bright as he snickered lightly. _"I know you're about to hit the airwaves. Just remember that this is one step forward and you'll feel a whole lot better when you talk it out. I know it. You'll do great and I'm going to hear a great interview."_

"Thank you. I have to go. We're starting soon."

"_Cool, there's just one more thing I wanted to tell."_ She noticed three minute warning as Kofi passed her a headset.

"Okay."

"_Pick your jacket up off the floor before you roll over it."_ The smile from her face melted once he chuckled out the request. She turned to the one way mirror to see to see if it was a reality. She hasn't seen him since Monday. Punk couldn't be on the other side of that glass window. After swiftly picking up her leather jacket and placing it on her chair, her eyes frowned into the glass, hoping to find a clue. _"I love your hair under the beanie by the way. You should wear it wavy like that more often."_ Her heart stopped and she noticed Kofi snickering. That's when everything registered to her. He was watching her behind the glass. He showed up. "_You can yell at that bastard after you kill this interview." _

"Duly noted." She said smiling. "Thank you for coming."

"_I wasn't going to miss this. No matter how pissed you are, I'm going to stick around."_ She nodded, then hung her phone up to placed her headphone on while hugging Kofi.

"You guys really are awesome."

"I know. We have your back lady. You know that." He extended his fist to her, smiling back at her as they connected and exploded. "You ready for this?"

"Yep." They yelled and AJ straightened up, giving Pete a bright smirk as she sat in the chair. With thumbs up from the producer, he gave AJ a smile of his own.

* * *

"I can't believe you came here Phil!" Layla gushed while hugging Phil. "How'd you book a flight so quickly?"

"Let's just say that I really did get the company jet this time. After I told John he was better than Dwanye about a hundred times and reminded Hunter than I'm the champ with flier privileges, John Boy and Daniel held the plane for me." Phil looked at AJ getting ready and smiled. "I wasn't missing this."

"We know. You're such a Romeo." Colt praised as he chuckled. "Only this one's still a douche 60 percent of the time."

"I'm a real man and not a pansy like you." He retorted. They listened to the interview start throw the speakers and Phil just watched them go on with a smile.

Kofi and AJ started answering more questions about their history, home life, how they became fans, they training they go through and their reasons for becoming wrestlers. They talked about video favorite games and comics and at one point, Kofi and AJ began to banter about who could beat who with a controller. The focus then turned more on AJ. What she liked, her hopes for Wrestlemania 29, the state of her shrinking division and how she felt about her male co-workers. Punk was impressed with her tone and natural flow in speech, knowing her to be a rambler most of the time. She was vibrant, energetic and concise with her answers. She still threw in a little geeky humor to make the boys laugh. She was absolutely charming.

That part of the interview went on smoothly and they all clapped with pleasing smiles as AJ and Kofi wrapped it up.

"Okay, so I'm just going to ask AJ the questions on her incident for the on air segment. It going to air again in the afternoon and then AP wants to article the whole thing." Peter said to AJ as she nodded quietly.

"If you want me to stay in AJ I can." Kofi offered. He was ready to call Punk in until she shook her head.

"No um…I want it to just be me. I can do it." she assured him while looking to the mirror. "And tell them not to worry, I'm fine."

Kofi gave her a smile before shaking hands with Peter and leaving the room, rejoining the group as AJ waited start.

"Is she okay?" Phil asked.

"Yeah, she just wants to do it alone." He shrugged.

Phil cracked the door open, peaking in to see AJ. She turned to the hush sound of her name and sighed with a smile for him, watching him greet her with a unicorn wave and wink. Layla and Colt waved at AJ over excitedly and Amy even gave her thumbs up. AJ giggled at her friends, and then told them to go as the recording button flashed and they listened in again.

Hopefully, she was okay. He wasn't leaving until he was sure anyway. But the fact that she wanted to do it on her own made him see her strength grow.

* * *

Kaitlyn sat on her laptop with a cup of coffee in her hand and ear buds in her ears, waiting for the interview to start. She sat in her hotel room at the W hotel in Hoboken, just across the Hudson as she waited to start her PR appearance with The Miz and Big Show, and kept her distant from everyone by not going to the station. She still cared about her friend, and even thought she didn't get a text message reply from her, she still knew AJ received the quote and felt supported. All Kaitlyn wanted was for AJ to get pass her drama. Everyone did. And what she did with Punk made things worst. She really wanted to fix things with AJ and Stephen.

As the music played, her phone rang. Her breath hitched as "Celtic Beast" flashed across the screen. Her head started to race as she answered it, trying not to drop it from her trembling hands. "Hello."

"Hey." He sighed.

"How are you?"

"I'm alright. Could be better but…I'm fine." She nodded as if he could see her. "Are you listening?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm about to walk into an interview with John and Eve so I'll miss it. But Eve's having it recorded somehow."

"Oh. Well, have fun in New York." _Without me._ She couldn't say want she really wanted to. She feared his reaction too much. "I…I really miss you Stephen." She exhaled stressfully. She didn't hear him say anything and it made her heart pound louder.

"I know. But...I'm still not happy about what happened. I still have a lot of questions that need to be answered Kaittie."

"So ask me."

"Not now." He said. "What time are you going to be done?"

"Around 4." She answered quickly. "Let's meet up here after. I need to see you in person."

"Alright." He confirmed. She heard Eve faintly calling him and sighed in relief. "I have to go but I'll call you when I'm on my way."

"Okay." _I love you Stephen._ "Later." She said as she hung up. A deep breathe exhaled from her lips with a tear shining down her face. She didn't think he would ever talk to her or want to see her again. Seeing him later could fix this all. This made her day feel so better. Hopefully, AJ would find comfort in her interview also.

* * *

"TMZ reported that your attack on June 18th after the company's event in New Jersey is in fact linked with the arrest and police custody of former superstar Drew Galloway, for crimes assault and battery. The rest of the details where kept disclosed at your request, but now, you're ready to talk about it?"

_His lips forcefully landed on hers and she screeched against him, kicking and squirming in his arms, and once he yanked away quickly, his hands made a mark on her face after hitting her._

"AJ," she snapped out of her memory as Peter kept talking. "What happened that night?"

_She started cry as his foot connected with her ribs and when he leaned over her, picking her up again and throwing her against the bed, he kept his hands around her neck, inhibiting her from screaming for help._

She nervously nodded and took a deep breath before talking. "That night, I was attacked by Drew in a hotel room. And, I know he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, but…"

_"Please…" he stopped and she let a tear fall from her eyes. "Let me go. Don't do this." She spoke slowly with pleading eyes. But she saw the sadistic smirk on his face and knew her words, her pleads for her life, meant nothing to him. _

She bit her lips and inhaled again before finally saying it. "He did attack me in a sexual and aggressively."

Punk ran his hand over his chin as she blinked rapidly. Colt and Amy frowned in worry also. They were a little worried she would burst into tears while thinking about it. "Drew is receiving his sentencing for this?" Peter asked.

"I'm not allowed to talk about but, yes." She said and Peter nodded, flipping his paper for the next question.

"What about the details behind who found you that night?"

_Daniel and Punk both saw Kaitlyn sitting next to AJ's body on one bed, rocking her body from side to side and crying._

"Was it just one person?"

_"Holy..." John mouthed as he and Punk moved to the spot she laid. "What happened?"_

_"I found her like this. She won't wake up. She won't talk." Kaitlyn said through her tears and just looked down at her friend. "She has a pulse but it's slow." Punk took the sheets from the other bed and wrapped her upper body in them, then looked at Daniel and Eve, who just broke into tears._

"A co-worker found me. They called for help and our amazing medical staff had me taken to the nearest hospital." She said with a stern face and Michael then asked another question.

"Now, sources say that it was CM Punk, your company's Champion and a man you worked an angle with at the time, followed you to the hospital that night. Did he?"

_Punk felt the nails dig into his arm with weak pressure and then looked at her. She was terrified; it was all in her eyes. She didn't want to go alone. So, he grabbed her hand and held it with both of his. "I'm coming."_

"Well, he's been by my side since this whole thing spiraled down. So, yeah, he's followed me since then. A lot of people, pretty much the entire company, have been by my side. They know me. They know why I do what I do in the WWE. I worked so hard to get there and they want me to come back to work more. I didn't want this to stop me from living my dream. It won't."

_"A.J.… April." She turned at Punk and he pulled her head close to his, connecting foreheads and looking into her eyes. "You can do this. You're going to feel so much better after this and I promise, you'll get past this." She nodded and after he kissed her forehead, she smiled._

"So yes, Punk has been by my side. Not just Punk though. I'm not going to bring them up out of respect for them." She nodded.

_Punk rolled his eyes and continued to comfort A.J. as she sobbed uncontrollably in his chest, having her tears fall on his shirt. He encircled his hand on her back slowly, placing his chin on the top of her head and pulling her in tighter. "Calm down. It's done now. And you did what you had to do." She nodded. "It's gonna be fine." He whispered quietly as she continued._

"Cut it here Jaks." AJ took a deep breath as the on-air sign when off. A tear slowly left her cheek. Pete passed her a tissue and she patted it down. "Sorry. I know you had more questions."

"It's fine. I can see you haven't really dealt too well with reliving this so I won't ask them. But you are strong for getting this far. You have my support as well and I wish you all the best." she nodded as he stood up to shake her hand. "Take care AJ, I hope to do this under better circumstances." she nodded while standing up and opening the door. Phil walked over to her with his hand out. She connected hers on instinct, making her smile when he then pulled her into a hug.

"You did great AJ." she nodded as his lips pressed a kiss on her forehead. She snugged into his arms as everyone in the halls wrapped an arm around her, turning it into a group hug with boastful cheers and giggles in the small hallways. They could hear AJ's signature giggles in the mix so they knew she was okay.

Phil felt his phone vibrate and quickly pulled it out while the exited the building. His eyes rolled at the contact when he picked up. "May I help you Johnny?" AJ took her seat with the group as they rolled down the street. She looked at his face frown with concern as the conversation went on. "Yeah, she's with me….okay…ah…I think she and Layla have an interview to conduct with Hearst for Cosmo which she's headed to now." His frown hardened as John talked. "Okay but…Alright. I will." He hung up with a sigh as AJ shook her head. "You and I have to head to corporate after your interview. Just me and you."

"Did they say why?" Phil shook his head and AJ just frowned. Calls from corporate were never good, so getting one for a meeting didn't make her feel calm. The feel of his fingers caressing hers just made her relax a little.

"Don't worry. I'm still here for you no matter what babe." She nodded while leaning her head on his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow while glancing at Amy. She mouthed 'its working' as he smirked. Hopefully she was right and nothing would go wrong at this point.

* * *

Hope you liked the day for AJ and Punk so far...cause it's about to shift in a whole new direction. Shit may have to go down. Just warning you.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I hope you've been checking out all the stories my friends wrote. They are growing in numbers and getting hotter and better.

#punkleenation

#RunninOnCrazyCreations

#kaitmusisstillon!

(I owe nothing)


	23. I'll Never Desert You

_So I was going to hold off on posting this chapter, but I'm so eager to know what everyone thinks of this update. . And...I want Punk and AJ back together as much as everyone else does. So, here you go! __Of course I listened to 'I'll Stand by You' by the Pretenders as I wrote this one. __Please review and tell me what you think of the issue on topic here. I want to thank you all again for reviewing and liking this story, it gives me the will to write and continue And keeps my hopes up for a AJPunk reunion._

_Again, I own nothing._

* * *

Hunter inhaled deeply, and waited a few moments before picking up the phone in the boardroom of WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, dialing for John Laurinaitis' extension with a hardened glare. Once he heard the phone pick up on the other end, he had a brief but informative conversation with his fellow Senior Vice President of Talent Relations.

"Yeah, did you do it? Who's coming? Okay…that's everyone. Just let me know when they all get here. Alright. Bye." That was basically the entirety of Hunter's talk with Laurinaitis, but when it was all said and done, he had gotten the information he needed.

Stephanie shook in her seat in the boardroom, simmering with silent anger in her face during the two o'clock hour. She watched her father's face express the same discomfort and her husband having sneer of his own as well. She had seen some unfair and injustice things happen in her days, but this was flat out cruel, and just plain wrong. She could barely stomach her lunch after what she had just heard.

"This is unbelievable," Hunter spat in anger as David Otunga presented them the photos and papers. "I don't care what they have as evidence. He committed a crime and he belongs in prison for it."

"His lawyers don't see it that way," David expressed. "Trust me, the DA called me, practically screaming her head off as well. This minor piece of evidence has stopped a verdict this big from being reached and halted the sentencing. Now, she had to work harder on this case."

"But what the hell kind of difference does it make? He turned himself in, dammit!" Vince yelled, watching the other board members keeping silent, but still express their discomfort. "This is nonsense. He confessed willingly to a crime he committed and went to jail. Now, all of a sudden, it means nothing because of this tape? It's ridiculous!"

"I know. But they have questionable facts. Once the lawyer presented it to the state, they saw reasonable evidence for the case to happen should he plead not guilty," David explained

"Does this mean now that we have to let AJ know that she may have to deal with her ordeal in a whole new way, even though she just came back and is still trying to recover?" one member asked aloud.

Otunga shrugged. This case was taking a toll on him as well. He'd heard of cases were murderers, drug dealers, and the Bernie Madoffs of the world got away just by having the right alibi. Now that he was working against one like it, he could only imagine what AJ was going to say or feel once she found out.

"We need to let them what may happen," the Harvard Law Grad suggested. "Everyone involved needs to know as well. _Everyone_."

* * *

"They want to do WHAT?!" Phil spat as AJ winced at the sound of his voice. He wasn't the only person with rage in his tone, eyes or expression. Cena frowned in shock, Daniel stood up in anger and Sheamus looked ready to kick someone's ass just to vent. She could hear Kaitlyn sniffing up her tears and Eve scoffing in disbelief. They had even called in her parents and her siblings to WWE headquarters in Stamford that very afternoon, just so they can learn what the appalling news.

She still tried to process said news when Hunter kept talking to her, but she didn't even want to hear it at that moment. She wished this nightmare was over so many times in the past; now, she wanted to catch amnesia, or for someone to put her in a coma for several months until she woke up. Anything will do so, just as long as this horror ends.

"The DA is working with David day and night so the judge will overrule the plea," Hunter stated. "But…if he does plead not guilty to sexual assault without consent, it has to go to trial."

The room was silent for several moments before Robert, her brother, spoke up, uttering four simple words that summed up everyone's present thoughts on the matter:

"This is fucked up."

"Robert…"

"No, Mama!" Robert spoke up his as AJ just kept her eyes down. "This is nonsense. They want us to be okay with it when this _pendejo __maricón_ says he didn't hurt April, when clearly, he did. He even walked into a police station, and practically _begged_ them to slap cuffs on him for doing it. So, how do you go from that to suddenly saying _'Oh wait a second. She opened the door for you? She basically asked to be raped'_ after watching a couple seconds of a fucking surveillance tape? That's bullshit!" he shouted.

"What about the doctor reports? The kit? Don't they work against this?" Daniel asked somewhat calmly, contrasting Robert's anger. "All of it's gonna be used as evidence, especially the reports from AJ and a cross examination."

"They just want to protect him and not her," Robert assumed, which caught the ears of Vince himself, who then cleared his throat, indicating that he was about to speak now.

"We're very sorry this is happening to you AJ," he directed to her, causing the brunette to just look up with a doe-eyed expression etched upon her face. "Trust me when I say this: we want this to be over just as much as you do."

"Easy for you to say when he worked for you, sir," Robert snapped.

"_¡Roberto!_ That's enough. Show some respect," April's father finally spoke up with a harsh scowl towards his son. "_Siéntate y deja de actuar como un tonto. ¡Ahora!"_"

Robert heeded the warning, slowly taking a seat as he looked at AJ's bosses and said with a now calm, but still pleading voice, "What about witnesses or the people involved?"

"We think AJ's testimony will be enough," Laurinaitis answered.

"But if we want to put this guy, why don't you all do something about it? He was an employee of yours who used drugs-which is against company policy, by the way-while he attacked her?" Phil asked, displaying a distinct bass in his voice.

"The drug test is on file, and so is his full confession. They might try to twist things to prove his innocence, but again, we will use everything we can. I will even testify against him, if need be," Hunter said firmly. "But the fact still remains. If Drew does plead not guilty, he will be released from jail on bail until the trial also. We need to do everything we can to keep April safe."

"Well, who's bailing him out?" Stephen spoke up. "He doesn't know anyone here but Wade, Alberto and I."

"We think his family in Scotland might but we aren't sure," Laurinaitis said.

"What the fuck _are_ you sure of, then?" her sister Rose chuckled out next. Her patience was wearing thin from hearing the lack of answers. "Do you even know how to handle the possibility of him coming after her again?"

"Ms. Mendez, I understand it's been hard…"

"You don't understand jack shit, sweetheart!" Rose kept yelling pass Laurinaitis' voice. AJ meanwhile just sat still and blankly stared into the space that was around her.

"She's not the only person that affected by this," she said as her voice started to break down. "She has a family that's bombarded by reporters, strangers and noisy assholes day in and day out about her. It's exhausting to all of us."

Rose let a tear trickle down her cheek as she spoke on.

"April used to be full of life, faith and smiles, even during the life we lived on the streets. Now, she doesn't sleep well alone or smile as much. My mother hasn't slept in days because she worried about her on the road again; I can't leave the house without getting a camera or a mic shoved in my face, day and night. Her friends, mainly Punk, have been going through hell for her protection!" she shouted with bitterness in her tone.

AJ knew her older siblings would feel upset about this. Rose and Robert had been her biggest supporters in her return and pushed her to keep moving on and past this, all so they could see their baby sister live her dream.

Now, all they saw was how all the misery and pain was affecting her. It was a letdown to them and hurt them deeply, and once Rose is hurt, she usually tended to lash out in defense of her sister. As Robert pointed to the people around him, mainly Kaitlyn, Eve, Daniel, John and Punk, he shrugged.

"She was found beaten, nearly to death, by people who work for your company. You've managed to protect them and not the victim. This happened to her at work. She came back to work for you, but you want her to do this alone and you can't do much to protect her? Does that make any fucking sense to you?"

Those words hit Punk to the core. He was right. AJ's name was all over this. Everyone was going to know about her rape and even after she left here to recover, things were about to become harder for her. No one knew who was involved, but once they testified against Drew, they would be exposed as well. He would rather have everyone question and him than have AJ deal with it all alone.

"I'll testify," He spoke up while looking at AJ. "If he says she wanted him to rape her, I will definitely help prove it wrong."

"Are you sure about this, Phil?" Stephanie asked. "You're the champion. Imagine the amount of-"

"To be honest, I really don't give a fuck about the attention I'll get," he bluntly stated. "She didn't ask to be violated or for her sanity to be corrupted. He disrespected her. He raped her, and five people can tell you why they know he did."

AJ inhaled deeply and frowned at him, causing him to nod. "You're not dealing with this alone, April."

"No, Phil. I can't let you do that," she said.

"What did I say to you that day in the hospital? What did I promise you?" he asked. He wasn't looking for her to answer, just for her to remember. His words of encouragement made it easy for AJ to talk and identify her attacker in the first place. She would have cracked under pressure without him there. She would have been living in fear and out of a job if he hadn't stayed by her side and kept her strong. He promised she wouldn't be alone and that she would feel better once she defended herself. He promised to have her back, and he still did.

"I'm not going to stop until you're okay, AJ. No matter what, I'm always here for you. _Always_," he urged.

"So am I."

AJ turned to see Kaitlyn standing tall, wiping the tears from her eyes as she glanced AJ's way. "There's no way in hell he's getting away with this. Not after what I saw or walk in after he did with her 'permission'," She quoted sarcastically. "Robert's right. Its bullshit, and I want to stop it."

"Kaitlyn, are you sure about this?" Hunter asked. "This is a stressful…."

"I don't care about my stress. I just…she's not allowed to be stressed out anymore. And besides, Chickbusters don't get stress out." AJ smirked at her as Kaitlyn referred. "We worry about how awesome we are." Kaitlyn winked her way while AJ nodded.

"I'll step up if I'm needed as well," John said as Eve stood up with him. "After seeing the progress she's made, I don't want it to be for nothing."

"He doesn't deserve to see her live in fear," Eve added.

"He deserves nothing more than a cell in State prison," Daniel spoke up in agreement. "I'll testify also."

"The jury needs to know about this case… about his confessions," Stephen said with his head low. "He even admitted to the crime in a letter. He apologized and told her why he did it. That's a full confession on paper, right there."

"I forgot all about that," David shook his head with shock. "I need that letter."

"I still have it," Phil said as David nodded appreciatively.

"If I bring it up to the DA, she can offer to bargain the plea. He'll still go to prison for the maximum sentence and we might not even have to go to trial."

"So all of you agree to testify if needed?" Vince asked, still getting a well bonded yes from his employees. He was astonished by it. He was also impressed and amazed to see how far AJ had come from all the mortification and tragedy in her life as of late. She was willing to leave it all behind to do what she loves and still, she has to now face it again.

Something had to be done to protect his product, as well as the people working for him. The people in this room were devoted to working and dedicated to keeping one of their own safe.

"Alright. I'll allow it," Hunter nodded in agreement as they looked at AJ. "Are you alright with all this? Do you need more time off or…?"

"No," she spat hastily, looking at them with puckered brows. "I don't want time off. I don't want to be off TV or tour. I don't want to head back to Tampa or stay in New Jersey and hide like a scared little girl. I just want to work."

She pleaded with tears in her eyes. "I need to keep my mind off this and I can't do that if you make me do nothing. I just want to be in the ring. I worked so hard so I can be able to this, and this can't stop me. _Nothing_ can."

Hunter nodded with his hand up. "Okay. It's alright, AJ. We're not taking you off tour. If you want to settle down for the day, I can understand. You still need to head to Tennessee for the house show, alright?" she nodded quickly. "Alright. Uh… Punk, you should stay here until the morning. That way you can leave with her. I'll put you both on a plane."

Phil nodded as April entwined her hands with his, not saying anything when his thumb rubbed her fingers.

"Anything else we should know?" the Straight-Edge Superstar asked.

"I'll have to up the security on her and all of the employees. Everyone on the roster is going to be traveling in bigger groups and no one is allowed to talk about this," Hunter requested. Not even you AJ."

They all agreed while David spoke up. "His hearing is in July, so you don't have to stress about anything now, April. Just focus on work and we'll do all we can to fight this cause with you."

"Thank you," she stated gratefully with a slight smile.

"C'mon, sweetheart." Her father stood up and took AJ's other hand while draping his large arms over her shoulder. "I'm sure you and your friends are hungry. Let's get you something to eat." She leaned into her father's arms, leaving the office with her family behind her.

"Punk…" Vince called onto him and Phil turned to the Chairman, who groaned and pointed to his chest warningly. He waited for AJ and her family to be out the door before he spoke. "I hope that your little _visit_, the one we told you _not_ to make, doesn't impact this case. Because if it did, you may have made this situation worse that what it already was."

Everyone frowned as Phil scoffed. "Impact?"

"Yes, impact," David said with a frown. "The defense brought you up constantly, questioning how a woman so traumatized, conflicted and injured by a sexual encountered with Drew, could then move into another relationship so quickly with another man who's also employed with the company?"

"Hold on a second. Whose business is it that he's around her? He's been helping her cope with all this since day night one," Cena asked with a shocked frown of his own. "If anyone deserved some credit for her recovery, it's him. And they just started dating. How can they manipulate that for anything else?"

"They just can," David stated matter-of-factly. "And since Punk decided to visit his girlfriend's attacker, it's raised some eyebrows. I need to work with Phil to prove that he was just as involved as all of you and not just her boyfriend."

"Hey, I didn't threaten the guy. All I did was talk to him. Man to man; we had a normal conversation about what happen. He kept apologizing the whole damn time! Did they forget to mention _that_?" Punk barked in frustration.

"We know, but again, they will kink this information anyway they want to help their case. We need to prevent them from having more of a case," Vince added.

Phil frowned at the boss from the use of words. "So, what? You want me to stay away from her just to help you? I'm her friend. I don't give a shit what people think about it," He assured with no regret in his facial expression.

"Punk, please. Just… watch what you two do in public and keep your relationship on a work level with her."

"I can't. I just can't promise that."

"Try, Punk. If you want to help her, this is one way how," Vince said. Phil sighed with a relaxed look as they spoke.

"I'll give you the letter tomorrow, David," He nodded before shaking hands with him, Vince and Hunter, and then left the room in a hurry.

"Is everything okay?" AJ spoke as she saw him come out of the room. Phil just nodded while taking her hand again. Her family stared at him inquiringly.

"Yeah, babe. We're going to have to be careful with you, that's all," He assured while kissing her hand tenderly, and gripping it tighter. "I'm really sorry about all this…" he directed his focus to her family.

"No, man. You've had her back since day one. You have nothing to be sorry for." Robert said as he patted Phil's shoulder to comfort him, making her father nod in agreement with him. He didn't want to admit that Vince may have been right about this, but they were. He knew seeing Drew would somehow make things worse, and it did. Now, she had to deal with more what ifs and painful memories when she just wanted to simply move on.

But he made a vow and determined that it was _not_ going to be that easy. If they really want to hurt her again, they would have to pass through _his_ guard this time.

* * *

_At least we know that AJ's family members actually approve of Punk. It's great that AJ has such a strong support system. But if Drew does plead not guilty, how will this affect her progress if she has to go to trial? Will she lose her mind and run? Or will Punk step up again to keep her sane and close to him._

_I haven't said much about what's going with RAW because I'm actually disappointed with the show. From the Rock showing up when he wants to even though he's champ, to Punk not being the champ, to AJ still making out with that cheap branded Ken doll, to the lack of work creativity seems to be putting in. (I mean, why did they break up Cody and Daniel? Why?). Mama says 'if you can't say nice things about something, don't say it.' So...yeah... I got nothing._

_I am starting another story soon. I also wrote a V-day fic, Trill Me, Chill Me, Fulfill Me, which I'm actually going to write a few more chapters for. (Thank Sam_CF for that) so check them out._


	24. Just To Be Honest

After hearing the bad news, AJ just wanted to be around the people that mattered; her family and the people who supported her recovery and case thoroughly for the afternoon. The group joined her family in their home by the water in Union City, and John helped Phil order and pay for a huge dinner from the pizza parlor they dined in when she was released for the hospital. As they waited for the food to arrive with John, Amy, Layla, Colt and Kofi, the events that occurred days prior made the tension thick in the Mendez living room. Eve and Kaitlyn still weren't talking; Stephen and Punk didn't say a word to each other nor did he talk to Kaitlyn; AJ hadn't addressed her issues with them either and Daniel felt AJ's father burn a whole in the back of his head like a hunter targeting its catch.

"April, what's going on?" AJ turned to her Rose and Lena as they entered the kitchen with grocery bags of drinks and ice. "Everyone's so quiet in there. They have these killer looks on each other and, I thought you had the whole 'Daniel was just in character' talk with daddy already." Rose added, nodding at her father as she spoke.

"Papa!" AJ sneered, causing her father to pay attention to the girls as he cleared his throat. "I told you to stop scaring Daniel."

"Sorry, I forgot he was only 'acting'." He nodded. AJ rolled her eyes as she noticed all the sour grapes sitting in silence. "They do look miserable. I thought they were all friends with one another and not just you." Mr. Mendez said.

"They are…sort of…it's a long story." She started stabbing the bag of ice for broken pieces as her father chatted with her.

"¿Están usted y Phillip un ah ... un tema serio?" he asked. She stopped and put the pick down to listen, blinked her eyes softly as he closed the kitchen door to talk among them. "How long have you two been dating?"

"Since New Year's Eve…only we aren't really dating now because…okay, I'm not sure what we are anymore. ¿Por qué lo pregunta papá?" she questioned with a frown.

He shrugged with a slight smile. "He's a good man…despite his outer features and his defensive attitude. Yet, he's very protective and supportive of you; like he's your husband, not a friend. Your brother always treats Lena that way."

"What way?"

"Con amor." Lena responded wittingly with her hand on her hips. "He loves you AJ."

Rose nodded with a bright smile as AJ just awkwardly played with her hair. "He's been by your side since day one. And he did nothing but worry about you when you left. He is in love with you and he doesn't feel sorry for you: he's hot for you."

"Rosa." She snapped warily as her father folded his arms glaring. Rose uttered sorry softly as AJ keep speaking to him. "I know that he's in love with me. I mean, I love him too. But every time I open up to him, something new or bad news pops up, and they are things he shouldn't be hiding. How can I trust him when he keeps things from me?"

"Well, he probably doesn't know how to communicate those feelings. Or he's afraid to." AJ looked at her father's suggestion. "You're a very nice woman April, with a big heart and bright personality, but you tend to shield yourself and run from bad situations, whether it's easy for you to defeat or not."

"That's not true."

"Then why did you leave the country?" Rose asked boldly. AJ rolled tongue as she turned to her sister. "Yeah, he doesn't tell you every horrible detail because he's afraid to lose you...again?"

"I get that. But I still need time. I want to focus on myself before I move on, and I don't want to drag him too far into this mess."

"He's been dragged further than you think." Rose said. "AJ, you have the chance to be with someone who really loves you. It's been a while since you had a serious boyfriend anyway."

"I know that. I just don't think we started on the right foot. It's been this personal version of The Bodyguard since I was raped. Ironically, we fell in love in a hopeless place." She stressed.

"So do something to change that." Her father advised as she turned to him. "April, from what I've seen, this man really does want to be here for you. If you want to move on with him, start moving."

"How can I do that with all the crap we're dealing with now?"

"Talk to him and learn about him. Hang out with him like your do your friends." Mr. Mendez advised, smiling for his youngest daughter while he pressed a kiss into her forehead. _"Usted debe aprender más acerca de su héroe. El hombre detrás de la máscara."_ He added. Lena agreed with a moan as Rose smiled. "Keep him close as a friend, and make sure it's the opposite of pushing away from him again."

* * *

"I still mean it Kaitlyn." Eve finally ended the silence as she sat on the couch, watching Kaitlyn sigh with a glower in her eyes. "I'm sorry about what I did. Whether it happened or not, I shouldn't have acted the way I did or lashed out. I really feel horrible about it."

"It's fine. I'm over it actually." She shrugged while looking at her, weakly smiling as Eve returned hers. "I'm sorry about the whole Kelly Kelly comment."

"I don't care about that. It wasn't a justified reason to touch you."

Kaitlyn sighed with a tilt to her head. "Well, you were always my favorite anyways so, sorry. And it's fine. I deserved to be slut shammed."

"No you don't." Eve snapped. "I don't know what got into me."

"God. He sent you to punish me for my Mary Magdalene ways." Kaitlyn pressed on. "I deserved it. I ruined my relationship, a friendship, and my reputation for those who actually believed you."

"We fixed it when we established it was a rumor." Phil quoted.

"Easy for you to say when you caused it." Stephen muttered while looking out the window.

Phil frowned while glancing his way. "Speak up Sheamo I can't hear it."

"You had a lot of people to talk to about your problems, yet you found it appropriate to take advantage of Kaitlyn." He sneered while approaching the champion. "She's my girl. And you took that away like one of you titles."

"I know. I am sorry about it. It meant nothing to me or her."

"To you. But it's a lot to me. It changes a lot for me." He confirmed firmly, feeling a grip his arm as Daniel stepped in to block them from getting defensive or fighting. "I was there for her enough Punk. Kaitlyn had me. I had her. She became intimate with you and now our bond is ruined. She suddenly doesn't need me for comfort or intimacy." he shook his head smiling. "Imagine how it felt when AJ told you and showed you she didn't need ya; how much it hurt to see all the time spent on making something happen amounting to nothing. Then tell me how sorry you really are."

Phil didn't move a muscle, but the scowl on his face told everyone how much those words affected him. After the day they just had, he didn't need to think about what already happened.

"Stephen?" As Stephen grabbed his coat and wrapped himself warm to enter the cold, Kaitlyn stood up to follow him.

"AJ, Thanks for the hospitality, but I can't stay here." He said as AJ entered the room, frowning in confusion as he hugged her. "I'll see you Monday alright?" Phil just groaned as the door opened.

"I thought you wanted to talk?" she said to him, searching for his eyes as she walked behind him.

"I can't…not with him around." He answered coldly.

"Stephen wait, I…I want to make this work again. Please, stay and talk to me…"

"I can't talk to you right now! Not when I'm feeling this way about you." he snapped. Kaitlyn stepped back, seeing him avoid her eyes as he opened the door. She just watched with everyone as he walked out the door into the tight city-suburban street.

Phil just groaned as from his seat, rubbing his head and inhaling deeply before standing up. He ruined one relationship, but letting another dissolve into nothing won't sit right with him. Without any protection, he stepped outside to follow Stephen out the door. "You wanna hear what I told Kaitlyn that made us kiss in the first place?"

"Punk…" Kaitlyn warned as Stephen just stopped, then glared his way slowly.

"I told her that she is fucking charmed. She has it all. Things that women like AJ dreamed of having. The title, fans, all the glory and eyes on her as a Divas champ. Mainly, she has a man who will never leave her side and is head over in love with her. No matter what's going on between you two, I knew you would stick by her side honorably and help her when she needed you. You would fight for her. I tried to do the same thing and the woman I love still left." Phil yelled while rolling his jaw, finally getting it off his chest what he'd been feeling.

Kaitlyn locked eyes with Stephen at that point, trying her best not to cry as his face softened. "I actually wished to be anyone but myself. Just so I would stop missing AJ so much. I don't eat or slept without her cause I worry if she's okay all the time. I wished I was you for once. Only because the girl you're with stuck around. I would kill to have AJ the way you have Kaitlyn, now more than ever. I would never turn by back on that, not matter what we've been dealing with or how upset she is with me." He shouted.

AJ followed the noise and peaked out her window with her sisters to listen more. "I don't know what else to tell you man. Kick my head in, bash me if you want, do your worst to me for revenge. I am sorry for what I did. I regret not telling Kaitlyn to leave me the hell alone but I'm happy she understood me. It stopped long before Amy caught us because it was all wrong. The guilt has been eating me up inside and I feel like shit for doing this to you and to AJ. I felt like shit when I lost her and I'm not letting it happen again. I don't want to feel that. I love April. I'm in love with her and I didn't realize how fucking special she is to me until it was too late. Don't make that same mistake."

Stephen didn't move his eyes away from Kaitlyn after Phil finished. She hoped for him to just run back to her. Phil was telling the core truth and she knew Stephen believed his words, but the hurt in his eyes told her he wasn't over it. He may have missed her, but he still doesn't know what to do with his anger. She watched him blink and walk into the street, halting an empty cab and not looking back as he entered it.

Phil thought his eyes and ears deceived him for a second. He believed in his words and surely thought they would work. Stephen never walks away from anything, yet he left Kaitlyn crying next to Eve when he drove away. He felt like a failure again; he might have repaired his own broken relationship, but he ruined a great one.

A warm, soft touch covered the goosebumps on his ink covered arms, grasping them as the snow started to fall again. He locked eyes with AJ, her eyes were not filled with sadness or hurt. Her smile kept still as she peered into his. Without any words spoken, she wrapped her arms around his waist and just locked him into a hug, nuzzling her head onto his chest while shivering. His arms wrapped around her as he ushered her back inside. She must have heard him finally express himself. The hug might have been a way of accepting his apology, but he still needed to do more. And asking her would ruin the euphoria he felt from her touch.

* * *

"Why are you even comforting me? Don't you hate me?" Kaitlyn asked quizzically. She watched AJ coming beside her outside in winter gear, handling two mugs of warm chocolate as an offering.

"It's freezing and you hardly ate the pizza. You need something warm so take the damn mug." She said. Kaitlyn took it and wrapped her fingers around for warmth, carefully inhaling the aroma and moaning.

"You didn't poison the hot chocolate did you?"

"No." she sighed out. The snow stopped again as AJ sat on the step with her, eyeing the city sun fall from her backyard and then passed Kaitlyn a faint smile. "I think I own you comfort. You didn't sleep for 24 hours after my attack and you brought me real Jell-O so I wouldn't have to eat fake Jello..or Fell-O." She rambled while snorting with Kaitlyn.

"Hey." AJ turned to see Kaitlyn still frowning. "I can totally understand if you want to kick me in the face…or slap me a third time." AJ rolled her eyes as the blonde rambled. "All I ask is for you not to hit me in the ear. That hurts a lot and it swells. We do have photoshoots coming up."

"I'm not going to hit you." she said, tilting her head while shrugging. "All you did was what I didn't do; you were there for him."

"I was just substituting him. And he was substituting me. He really wanted you and I didn't even need him when I had…" Kaitlyn paused, leaning forward to dip her head low in exhaustion. "I lost the best thing I ever had."

AJ waved towards herself after placing her mug near her feet. Once she leaned in and placed her head on AJ's knees, AJ just rubbed her shoulders and laid her head on her shoulder nub. "It's going to work out if it's meant to be. You know that. He's just hurt."

"At least I still have you to cuddle with." She moaned sadly.

"Of course you do. Remember your motto missy; WWNNS?"

A snort felt Kaitlyn's nose, causing her whole body to shake with laughter. "What Would NeNe Say?" she defined, nodding with AJ as they laughed. "Men come and go, girlfriends are here to stay."

"No matter what, I'm here to stay." AJ admitted, holding out her fist over Kaitlyn. Immediately, their hands connected, and then exploded without any loss of coordination. "I still love you Hunter."

"I still love you HBK." AJ said as Kaitlyn lifted her head up to finish her drink. "So, you're still mad?"

"A little. But I'll get over it in time."

"Trust me, I will never kiss your boyfriend again. And, at least you're talking to me." Kaitlyn just shook her head and stood up, looking inside to see everyone talking in the kitchen after dinner ended "I'll be fine." She said weakly as she walked away. She leaned in the doorway frame as everyone just kept moving around. Layla pouted her way when she noticed Kaitlyn's puffy eyes.

"Eve told me what happened. You alright? We brought Cannoli's." She offered while rubbing her friend's shoulder.

"I'm fine. I'm not even that hunger I just want to get…wipe this day off my memory map."

Suddenly, a huge rush of snow and ice blew right onto Kaitlyn's back, hitting Layla a little in the eyes and even entering the kitchen floors. The freezing cold mixture burned and soaked into Kaitlyn's hair, under her coat and into her shoes. Kaitlyn wheezed and shuddered from the cold, holding her arms up and feeling the cluster of snow stick to her body.

A sinister yet joyous and boastful laugh could be heard by everyone inside. AJ held her gut tightly with one hand as the grey shovel she held hit the ground. Kaitlyn blinked harshly while slowly turning to the petite diva, staring her down with everyone else. "What…the…Hell?"

"That was great!" She shouted while dropping to her knees in the yard still laughing. She sighed deeply while wiping her tears off. "I guess it's true; revenge is a dish best served _cold_." She stated before laughing out loud again.

Kaitlyn rolled her tongue over her teeth as she ran to AJ, tackling her to the snowy ground quickly. The woman began to tussling and troll in the snow, pushing it onto one another as everyone watched in amusement. They screamed and shrieked while fighting, but the laughter heard in the midst of it all made everyone enjoy at the pair's duel. Kaitlyn gasped loud as AJ stuffed snow into her shirt, feeling ice on her chest. The Hybrid stopped moving with her hands out as she sat in the snow, nodding modestly as AJ blew her hair from her face.

"Are you two even yet?" John yelled as he entered the cold with Phil and Colt. The two turned with excessive breaths and huge grins as they nodded. Kaitlyn hugged her best friend and smiled more as they held on. She was more than happy with this than a slap in the face.

AJ however, had someone else on her hit list. She whispered her idea to Kaitlyn and the fit Texan hooted with a nod as she looked at target.

John saw who they picked, so did Colt. Before Phil could run inside, he felt John pull him still as his best friend's strong arms locked a full nelson hold. "Let me go jackass!" he screamed as the girls created snow balls with bright smiles. Once he felt the snow strike him in the chest area and face, he froze with his face frown miserably. He heard AJ laughing at him, so he tried not to smile a little and failed. He nodded with acceptance as AJ awed for him. "This… is your payback?" he asked while raised eyebrows for her and a finger to his snow covered face.

"Yeap. And I regret nothing." She proclaimed with open arms.

He didn't care about the lack of fabric on his body or the burn on his feet when he ran into the snow. All he did was kick what was on the ground onto the girls as they screamed. "This is for the crappy water balloon ambush in LA!" he screamed in playfully fury. "And because I feel like it!" he picked up more snow and threw it, causing them to get help from Layla, Amy and Eve, who used the shovel to dump snow on him as well.

John, Daniel, Kofi and Colt joined the fray, using shovels, hands or anything they could find to fight in the snow with. They tackled one another and brawled in the snow, not caring how childish they appeared or how crazy they sounded. They needed to laugh and have fun after hellish day they had. AJ needed to be entertained more than anyone, and as they all kept the battle going in the snow until she waved a white flag, they felt proud of her and loved seeing her smile at the moment.

Her sister took a photo of them using AJ's phone as they posed in the after battle mess. The family finally saw why AJ decided to come back to her career despite her struggle. These people were family to her also, and no matter what happened to her, they had her best interest at heart. She didn't have a reason to leave them behind. She seemed relieved and happy with them at the end of the day, no matter how it started.

* * *

"Usted debe aprender más acerca de su héroe. El hombre detrás de la máscara."- "You should learn more about their hero. The man behind the mask."

¿Están usted y Phillip un ah ... un tema serio?- Are you and Phillip a ah ... a serious item?

Thanks for all the support. I'm just posting this until I return from Europe. I'm dealing with the lost of a family member and I will be away for a while.

Thanks you to Maizeandbluekid for editing and giving me nothing by support and help, as well as my friends and my favorite author here! I love you ALL! *Mwauh.*

In the next Chapter, AJ gets everything out...in front of a live audience. What will she say? What will it be about? Who will it impress or offend?


	25. Speaking from the Heart

Hello!

I'm back with a new one. Not much in the notes this week except thanks for your rolling support and reviews. I will be in London for the next few weeks, handling things with family and keeping busy. So I will leave you with this. Thanks Maize for reading this through. Love you all and...Raw Old school was awesome wasn't it? The Undertaker At WM29 is a go, yet sadly he lost his closet ally and manager Paul Bearer. My prayers are with them for I too am suffering a lost and I can imagine what some people close to him are feeling.

Enjoy the story!

* * *

AJ's life back on the road became normal to her again as the month progressed. She spent most of her time on Smackdown, with some minor appearances on Raw thrown in between due to the tournament, and a huge feud with Eve, Dolph and Vickie that was set for her. Her activities outside the ring grew intense also. Amy caved in and decided to train her on her off days, and when she didn't have a scheduled appearance on NXT, she spent her hours in the gym, or at her Gracie camp learning.

Her friendship agreement with Punk seemed to be working well for them also. He wasn't trying to act like her boyfriend, just her personal friend and part time bodyguard, like he treated her after her attack. He noticed her witty sneers and smart comments, but laughed with her when she showed her clumsiness and perkiness to him.

She would also come to him for reviews on their performances, or to talk about the latest games or comics. He vented to her at times as well, telling her things good and bad he never even talked about on his DVD; things his closest friends knew about him. They still hung out with the group when time allowed, yet they took more of the time bonding with the love that was still there.

The fans were sending more positive energy during her return and every showed her plenty of support since her return. Her match with Tamina was met high regards and praise, and during Main Event, she was matched up against Kaitlyn in the second round.

While Kaitlyn's size and strength gave her an advantage,, her experience in the ring simply could not match up AJ's wit and savvy. AJ kept her feet moving, throwing a plethora of kicks and other strikes, and flew through the air every chance she had.

The match seemed to have a lot of tension thick in the air. Though AJ forgave Kaitlyn, she still couldn't ignore what happened. If it wasn't Kaitlyn, would it have been someone else? That type of question only angered her, causing her kicks to be a little bit harder, more stiffer than normal. Kaitlyn didn't realize her best friend was using this match as a way to bury the hatchet until AJ ended their match in a familiar, yet different way.

"The Anaconda Vice?!" Kaitlyn screeched as AJ skipped to the back with her, smiling brightly after winning the match. The Houston natïve kept rubbing her left arm as AJ just nodded. "You slap the fucking Anaconda Vice on me? We didn't practice that!"

"No, _you_ didn't practice that," she corrected to her two-toned friend. "Punk showed me the key points yesterday."

Kaitlyn bobbed her head sarcastically. "Oh, how charming," She teased, glaring at Punk with a tight smile as he walked over. "Now I really can't stand you."

"That line is getting longer, so you better hop on that before it wraps around the corner," he said before wrapping his arm around AJ's neck, pulling her closer and pressing a smacking loud kiss on her forehead. "That was great. A little sneaky since you didn't run it by me, but it was fun to watch someone tap out from it."

Kaitlyn shoved Punk with a glare as the pair laughed together. "Fuck off. You're so lucky I need to see a trainer about this. I'll talk to you later, chick," Kaitlyn said as they she left them alone.

Before Phil could keep talking to her, AJ saw a writer approaching her with Hunter beside him. They all smiled, which set her back a bit. "Hello," Hunter greeted.

"Hi," she responded as Hunter passed her a script. "Whoa. First a win, now a segment? Did I send you flowers or something? They might have been for Stephanie if I did," she joked.

Phil shook his head while Hunter chuckled. "No, kid. This is for the Smackdown taping. We need you to highlight yourself and the tournament finals for Elimination Chamber."

"Alright, then. Let's see what we got here. Ooh, on the Highlight Reel with Chris? Sounds like a party," she shrugged while reading the paper. "I'm in the ring with Vickie, Dolph, Eve and Daniel. That's a lot but okay." She flipped the pages in confusion. "Um, where's all the long lines?"

"That's why I'm smiling," Hunter said as she frowned with Punk. "Stephanie would like you to air out your protests after you say these lines."

She felt her head get heavy, then felt Phil rub her back in support. "I'm going off script? I…I've never done that before."

"You sure about that?" Phil joked as she glared up his way. "Skipping around Kane wasn't on that paper, missy."

"That was different. I didn't have to talk. Man, what should I even say?" she asked the men around her.

"Whatever is on your mind. I mean, with the buzz around your personal life out there, you must have some feelings bottled up," Phil reasoned. "Just let them out."

"Especially with the state of your division, and after you do it, you'll feel better about being back. I know it," Hunter added before getting a phone call. "Write your words, and run it pass Steph when you're done." He excused himself as she shook her head.

"I can't do this," she whispered as Phil watched her tear up. "Phil, I'm not that good with speaking off script."

"Hey, hey. AJ, just relax," Phil cooed as she took deep breaths. He learned something about her anxiety before, and he knew what to say to bring her back down to earth. His hand circled her back as she looked at him. "You got this, Apple Jacks. This is just you talking to all the critics, all the haters and the cacklers. It's time to shut them up because…"

She nodded before smiling. "They couldn't do what I do even if they dreamed it," she finished. He happily kissed her cheek for her answer, and she exhaled in relief as a result. "Tell me you'll be watching?"

"Yep. In fact, I'm going right now to reserve my seat," He yelled backing away and towards the tech curtain. "Knock 'em dead, April!"

She nodded to herself as he left, then read the script with careful eyes, looking for where or how to follow up. She thought about all the tweets, and reports sent to her since she arrived in the WWE, all the doubters spitting insults and disrespect her way. Some even wished she hadn't returned. People were harsh and naïve, but Phil was right, they wished they could be in her shoes. Doing what she loves for a living over what she has to do to survive.

She smiled towards a backstage hand as she asked for the pen in his hand. She flipped to a blank page and started writing down all those feelings, knowing it was going to impact her for sure.

* * *

Phil rubbed his chin in curiosity as the Highlight Reel segment started, watching with Amy and Hunter in the Tech area. Eve stood in the middle of the ring with Vickie, Dolph and Chris Jericho, hyping herself as a strong, honest, and beautiful Divas Champion as Dolph talked smack about Daniel's attempts to help AJ, as well as make disparaging remarks about Chris' return. Chris went at it with Dolph and continued to make jokes about all of them in the ring, _especially_ Vickie. It was a great start to a long segment in the nine o'clock hour.

Once Vickie started slamming AJ harshly, her music went off right away. Phil snickered as his favorite girl bolted out furiously to her music, not skipping joyfully, but with a rather serious brooding look on her face, having Daniel run behind to stop her. He failed, and as soon as she entered, she immediately shoved Vickie down with a ferocious cry. The 'Queen' Diva tumbled to the ground, causing uproar in the ring as she yelled at Eve, forcing Daniel to block her from trying to scratch Dolph's eyes out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Heyyyyyyyy!" Chris yelled while breaking up the stables. He smiled at AJ as he talked. "They weren't joking when they called you a Wild Child, kid," He teased as she kept her eyes glaring at Vickie. "You coming out here can only mean one thing, so AJ Lee, allow me to welcome you to the Highlight Reel, and congratulations on advancing to the finals of the Divas Cup Tournament."

She mouthed a polite _"Thank you"_ before allowing Chris to continue. "You got something you want to say to these lame, overly spray-tanned, cheap-dressed Barbie jerks… and Vickie," he added while snickering with her and Daniel. "What's on your mind, AJ?"

She kindly took the mic from Chris with a tight smile. Vickie shook her head while yelling again, but AJ cut her off. "Stuff it, Vickie, you've said enough for the night. Act like the humpy dumpy you remind children of, sit down and shut the hell up." Her hand went up and the people instigated with hoots.

She looked at Eve with a frown. "You know, when I first got here, you, Eve Torres, were one of the first women who came to me and told me that it's not the size or the look of a women that makes a diva. It's the passion, the working drive, and the confidence that will set you apart from everyone else. I believed in it. Now, I did a lot of sacrificing like the other men and women in the company did to get here, to get to where I am now, and I have worked my ass off to make it happen. So, no Eve, you didn't pave the way for me or help this division stay alive. _We_ do. And believe it or not, there are some fans of women wrestling that still do, also."

"I do remember, AJ," Eve said as it was now her time to talk. "I remember telling you that even though there were people here didn't care who AJ was, I told you that you had that new 'it factor'; the new diva that was needed, an example to follow. But lately, I don't see that in you anymore. And it's sad, AJ. _Really_ sad. I had such high hopes for you," Eve stressed mockingly while stepping to AJ.

"Now, all I see, like Dolph said, is this shell of a woman who gets wrapped up in a love-sick whirl spin every single time someone shows her interest," she snapped. AJ snorted while looking away, nodding with a slight smile as Eve rolled her smile though the boos. "And it's a waste of everyone's time, as well as mine. If you want to flaunt yourself around back and not focus becoming champion or a legend, that's on you. But it really does make you look pathetic."

AJ started to laugh while twirling her mic. She then pointed to Eve's appearance then tilted her head to speak. "You wanna talk about flaunting, Eve? I am staring, _directly_, at the reason why Zack Ryder's first WrestleMania moment was his worst WrestleMania moment. You furthered your own endeavors with John Laurinaitis for power by hurting and using him, and you're the reason John Cena created the female insult that's opposite of the term 'Broski'."

Everyone started to cheer that egregious term, mixing in repeated shouts of _"Hoeski!"_ with a few _"Woo, Woo, Woos"_ as AJ ran her hand through her hair. "Do you _really_ want to call me out on who I've kissed and who enjoyed it lately?"

Even Hunter had to let out a snort as she asked that, looking at his wife who shrugged lightly. "She added that part there. Not me," Stephanie objected.

"So let's not go there, okay? Anyways, I'm done talking about my past. I'm not going to take anymore crap from you, from Vickie, from Dolph, from the roster, from management, from the media and even the harshest of fans. Not anymore. I actually don't care if anyone likes me. I don't care if someone insults me. I don't care if certain fans, who go to the bathroom or make a sandwich at home when they hear any Diva's theme music hit, care about what I say, but I hope they listen and you damn well better listen to me, Eve."

AJ stepped closer to Eve, and the taller woman could see smaller brunette's eyes go dark. AJ was gone. This was April speaking to her and Eve, for that moment, had to be a focal representative for the general public. Daniel just stared at AJ in shock, but kept smiling for her. Chris, Vickie, and Dolph seemed stuck also. That wasn't in the script at all. She had to be feeling it now. And as Amy and Punk watched on, they could see where she was going with this.

"She's dropping a fucking pipebomb," Phil snickered out.

"Yeah. She's been about you long enough to know what it is," Amy said.

"We just gained 90,000 more viewers during this promo," A producer said as Hunter took the paper, nodding at the numbers. "Now its growing."

"We're back at 4.39 Hunter," he said in amazement. "Do we cut her off sir?"

Hunter cleared his throat and shook his head. "No. It's fine. Tell Ron to close up on her," he said.

"I don't care if people think I'm too small, or skinny, pretty, love sick, crazy or ugly to be here. Because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that _I'm here_. When I first started out of NXT, I said something. Something that people who actually watched that season can remember it. But for those of you who didn't, I will say it again. I know…"

She pointed to her heart and felt her throat get dry as her eyes brimmed with tears, so her voice cracked. "I know in _here_, that I deserve to be here. All the divas here deserve to be champion, but I am going to make sure that I will earn everything coming to me this year and the years ahead."

"I am who I am. I love converse sneakers, I hate over excessive makeup, I'm virtually blind without my glasses, I'm one of the shortest people on this roster, I love to play video games until 3 in the morning, I'm obsessed with the likes of Lita, and Trish Stratus, and the other women of Attitude Era."

That last statement got a relative pop from the crowd, and caused Amy to smile warmly while watching in the back as AJ continued.

"I'm now reading the fall of Batman comic series in my spare time and yes, I get a little crazy when you rub me the wrong way," the little spitfire confessed. The cheers grew as she spoke on and claps faintly filled the arena. "But guess what? That's what makes me AJ Lee. And I don't plan on changing a damn thing about it. As a fan since I was a little girl, I have dreamt of being here in this moment, and now, it's a reality. A diva is someone who is different, unique and special from all the others around her. I'm a woman that doesn't fit the standard, but I do my own damn thing and I'm fun, unpredictable and good at it when I do it."

"She's got two minutes left," Hunter said to the producer.

AJ glanced at the producer who signed it. That was all she needed to finish up. "I don't care who I'm friends with, who I'm kissing, who loves me who or hates me; what I want is to be the best, and what I _want_ is the Divas Championship," She stressed. "This fun-sized woman is going to show you and all the divas how unpredictable she can get. So go in the back, grab a seat, look pretty and hold on to this belt, because-not _if_, but _when_-I win this tournament, I'm gunning for you, Eve. And come WrestleMania, I assure, that in front of my fans, in front of my friends, and in front of my family, I will see to it that your days as a bullying, sneaky, conniving, Prom Queen waving champion are _OVER_," She warned.

"And if you or anyone else who can't handle that, you can kiss my little Jersey girl ass."

And with that, AJ then slapped Eve, sending her right into Dolph and Vickie's arms and shocking the whole arena. She leaned over and tilted her head with a sly smile. Saying no words, she slammed the mic into Chris' chest and stepped out the ring, this time deciding to do her trademark skipping up the ramp to stand back. Everyone just looked at her in astonishment.

As everyone cheered AJ on her speech, Daniel followed AJ out the ring and up the ramp. She then stood there with the camera focused on them and her hands pointed to her stomach and motioned them around her petite waist, signaling were the championship belt was soon going to be as Eve shook her head glaring.

* * *

"Where is she?"

"I don't know. She just ran from us after we got to the back," Kaitlyn said to Phil, who caught up with them after everyone reached the back. "She looked upset."

"Why? That was friggin' great," Hunter snickered while his hands out.

"Twitter is exploding. WWE's trending, and so is AJ, you, Highlight Reel and everyone mentioned," Amy said while nodding toward Phil. _"Damn, I know Punk can drop one, but AJ's pipebomb was louder and hotter. Best one since Vegas,"_ was one tweet she read.

"I know it was great. I want to talk to her about it," Phil chuckled out.

"I don't know, but she didn't seem too proud of herself," Eve noticed while shaking her head. "She wasn't all there when she was talking. She must have blacked out. I could see it."

"Blacked out?" Phil asked. Eve rolled up the paper and Punk stanched it, looking over AJ's part of the promo and frowning. She only had four sentences to say.

"How come you didn't cut her?" Daniel asked Hunter.

"I told her to say want she wanted. That was great promo stuff out there. I had the network grant us an extra ten minutes because the ratings boasted."

"So, where is Little Ms. Talk of the Hour right now?" Chris asked.

Soon, Phil's phone chimed and he snorted at the text. "What?" Amy asked. He showed her the text, and it made her awe and laugh as well. "Wow, really?"

"She wouldn't lie about that. Trust me."

"Lie about what?" Kaitlyn asked.

"_Tell someone from management I'll be right back. Had to go tinkle,"_ he read. Another text came and he kept on smiling. _"I did drink too much coffee this morning. You guys win, no more large cups."_ The last one made him laugh even louder. _"I held it for too long and I felt the urge to pee my pants when I smacked Eve. LOL,"_ He tittered while his eyes read the words incredulously.

Hunter frowned as Kaitlyn and Eve broke out in a hearty laugh. Amy shook her head with Daniel, and Phil couldn't stop his smiling also. "That girl is something else," Chris shook his head while walking away laughing.

Just then, AJ walked from around the halls, exhaling in relief as she threw a tissue in the garbage can nearby. After passing a couple of hand clapping employees, she nodded at the praise with a humble smile and gracious thank yous across the board. She then felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist, and then felt that person spin her around again, making the two of them laugh gleefully. The ink on his arms and fingers told her exactly who it was.

"AJ…wow," Phil huffed as she covered her blush with her hands, turning to him when he put her down. "That was fucking awesome. You were on fire out there."

"I know. I couldn't breathe out there," she shook her head in disbelief while chuckling to herself. As Eve approached her, she ran to hug her tightly, which surprised the Divas Champion. "I'm so sorry I slapped you."

"No, no. It's fine. I can now officially say that I am a card carrying member of the 'AJ Lee Slap Club'," she joked while they laughed together.

"I know it was long but, I wanted you to be a surprised, proud papa," she retorted with a smile for Punk.

"Well, I'm very proud of you," he confirmed while he shook his head. He couldn't really stop chuckling or blushing and decided to squeeze her in again. She sighed in his arms and rested her head into his chest, beaming at the girls blissfully to hint her happiness, and they awed at the sight of them as she cuddled him back. She even saw Hunter and Heyman clapping for her while nodding in approval. But being with him to celebrate felt so right again. She missed being this close to him.

"Alright. I have about seven people standing here who need to be getting ready for a match or something so, the happy moment is done," Hunter shouted. "Back to work, everyone."

"I'm headed back to watch your match. We will talk about that later, AJ," Amy said as she walked back to the area.

Paul nodded to Punk to excuse himself as people walked away, leaving AJ with Phil. "AJ, I need to meet with you for a second about it. Come see me after the match," Hunter advised.

"I didn't offend anyone, did I?" she asked nervously.

Hunter frowned. "No, but you will have to answer to a lot of people and I need to do control before it spirals out of hand. Right, Phil?" He aimed those last two words purposely and directly at the Second City Saint.

Punk laughed with a shrug. "Can't control a loaded gun Paul." Hunter waved him off before walking away.

"By the way. thanks for the advice," AJ gratefully expressed to Phil. "I wanted to puke before I went out there." She didn't just cut a promo, she promised to raise the bar on her performance. It was a warning shot for those who didn't believe in her hype before to start believing now. It felt great to say everything she felt and kept bottled in, and she could see the results of her impact as more tweets and comments filled her inbox, calling her more confident and stronger.

He brushed some of the hair from her face. His soft, lean, ink traced, and amazing arms wrapped around her once more. She kept blushing as result, remembering how great it felt to have him spoil her with possessive, yet protective support.

She couldn't be his everything without being everything he wanted in a woman. Hopefully, tonight proved that she was one step closer to being just that.

* * *

#americangirlinlondon

#RIPPaulBearer

#AJforDivasChamp

#RunninOnCrazyCreations


	26. One Rise, One Fall

_So it's AJ Lee birthday huh? And she returned as a crazy chick for a little bit on RAW. hmmmm...guess I chose th right time to post a chapter all about her. Don't worry, there's Punklee in here...along with a very bittersweet ending. I Know you will all enjoy this. Keep in mind: This is My version of the Road to Wrestlemania, which is nothing like the one being created by the WWE. I own nothing._

* * *

February 17, 2013 Elimination Chamber

New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is the latest update we have on the health status of Team Hell No, after they were both attacked by The Shield during a Pre-Show interview earlier tonight," Matt Striker reported from the backstage area as the fans watched on.

"Daniel Bryan is doing fine, but Kane has suffered a Grade 3 concussion after his head hit the floor during The Shield's Triple Powerbomb. WWE medical staff has taken Kane for treatment, and unfortunately, he has been rendered unable to compete in tonight's Elimination Chamber match for the WWE championship."

The announcement of that left the near 16,000 fans in attendance in a stunned state of mind.

Striker continued on with his reporting. "Smackdown General Manager Booker T and WWE COO Triple H are meeting as we speak to find a replacement for Kane's spot in tonight's main event."

The event soon progressed and moved on to the next scheduled match on the card, but the crowd still was in wonder over what had just transpired. Kane was out of commission, so who would replace him in the Chamber?

* * *

_Hampton Inn & Suites - New Orleans_

_24 hours before Elimination Chamber_

"_Wait… why?" AJ asked. She stopped unpacking her bags and frowned at Phil, who sat on the bed trying to relax and tell her the change happening in his match for Sunday. "I thought you said you were fine. I mean, you stopped cramping months ago."_

"_Well, apparently, after further testing, the doctors saw it as a more damaging injury." He explained. "If I don't take care of it soon, I could puncture a muscle."_

"_Then wouldn't you being in this match make it worse?"_

"_Well, Taker's not gonna be clear to go for Wrestlemania, and if you think about it, the history between all the parties involved, myself included, makes for a great storyline build-up and match for Mania. You know how I am. I don't do shit that doesn't makes sense. And I think this is great."_

"_It sounds like a build-up for the end of a career," she snapped, averting her eyes down as she stuffed her clothes away furiously. "I can't believe you agreed to do that Phil... especially without talking to someone about it," she expressed with worry._

"_I talked to Paul," he reasoned._

"_Creative, skillful promoters with the ability to mind fuck everyone he looks at can't count as **someone** right now," she corrected. "I meant someone else who doesn't want to see you get squashed like a pancake."_

_Punk just snickered at her bitterness, walking over to her and taking her hand, lifting her chin up to look at him with his free finger. "You're losing faith in me, babe? That's not like you."_

"_Phil, that's… look, you know I don't doubt you, I never will. It's just that I'm concerned over this huge change of plans. And the man you're going up against is a monster, with no filter."_

"_We talked about booking this match a few weeks ago. And if he's fine with it, I'm fine with it."_

"_You say that you are, but I don't see that. You can't expect me to be worried about you for doing something like this, baby," she defended._

_Her hand met his lips with a soft kiss as he smiled. "I know. And I love that about you, April. But I want you to relax. You got a victory to focus on, so worrying about me is not an option, alright?" _

_All she could do was sigh, then nod in agreement before placing a kiss on his cheek. "Everything is going to be fine," he assured her. "For you and for me. I promise."_

* * *

"This following contest is scheduled for one fall, where the winner of the match will be the number one contender for the Divas championship!" Justin Roberts yelled as the crowd cheered some interest.

'Light it Up' blared through the arena, causing a loud, positive outburst from the sold out New Orleans crowd. AJ walked out, waving with a huge smile as she posed, then proceeded to skip down the ramp in her classic nonchalant way.

"Introducing first, from Union CIty, New Jersey... AJ Lee!"

"_Michael, King, I think we predicted this match would happen from the start of this Divas Cup Tournament, but you two have really been rooting for this young lady the whole time."_ JBL drawled from his seat at the commentary booth.

King chuckled before responding. _"Well, can you blame us? AJ has impressed us all since her comeback at TLC, and her matches in this tournament have been pretty amazing."_

"_In addition to victories over Tamina and her good friend Kaitlyn, the match that AJ had against Naomi on RAW this past Monday night still has everyone talking."_ Cole recapped. "_Naomi displayed a great amount of flying talent and powerfully athletic moves, but AJ matched that with her high-flying abilities, new skills and endless charisma. In the end, AJ slapped on the Octopus hold and Naomi was forced to tap out." _

"_And don't forget that AJ said-well, actually warned-Eve two weeks ago on Smackdown that Eve should be watching closely and carefully, telling her that her days as champion and the queen of the division are numbered, and come WrestleMania, AJ's going to be the one to end the reign of terror,"_ King reminded his co-commentators, as well as the viewers watching at home.

"_That's the confidence in her talking. She's spunky, ready to fly and on fire,"_ JBL groaned with passion for her as AJ stood on the turnbuckle in excitement. _"I was talking to her in the back before the show and she told me it only took her five months to learn her new skills. She actually left the US, went to San Juan, Puerto Rico to attended camp with WWC to better her craft. She's also been competing on NXT for practice and has been working with Daniel Bryan and some other people to improve her strengths. It shows how devoted she is, but let's see if it's enough to defeat this woman." _

After making her way into the ring and posing for the crowd, AJ walked around for a bit before settling down as she waited for her opponent.

* * *

_18 hours before Elimination Chamber_

"_Again, AJ," Amy demanded, leaning against the end of the ring as AJ nodded. Phil, Colt and Amy all watched as Kaitlyn tried to place AJ in her imitation of the Sharpshooter. AJ's face instantly scrunched up in pain from the pressure. Out of all the moves she could be tangled in, this was a nightmare to be in. Thinking of all the times she jobbed to the Hart legacy Diva still made her want to puke. But she needed to get over those moments and think in the now. Sunday was her last shot at the title and if she wanted to win, all the bumps and obstacles had to be overcome._

_Amy and Phil brought her to the school they trained in in an effort to help her tweak and perfect her moves, and as a bonus, Amy wanted AJ to power out the submission, just in case Nattie decided to change up some things._

"_AJ," Phil leaned closer to talk to her as she wiggled around, trying to keep the move from being locked in as everyone cheered her on. "AJ, don't toss around her, you'll give her leverage to turn."_

"_No fucking shit, Sherlock!" she yelled, trying to come out of it as Kaitlyn tried to turn her again._

"_Just push or thrust your legs," Phil called out. AJ growled, frustrated that she didn't know how to do it. So she leaned up and bit Kaitlyn's hand, causing her to break the hold and yelp out in pain._

_Amy and Colt rolled their eyes as AJ shoved Kaitlyn away, sitting up and leaning against the ropes. Phil lifted his cap briefly as AJ relaxed. "That's not legal in a match, April," Amy said in annoyance._

"_It was the first thing to come to mind. Sorry if I don't want to be broken in half like a goddamn pretzel," she snapped._

"_You could just shove her off and make sure she doesn't turn you when you're down. But you really need a plan."_

"_I never have one because she always beats me with that damn Sharpshooter." She ripped off her arm band in frustration while wiping the sweat from her face. Phil leaned over to talk to her with Amy, rubbing her shoulder for relief._

"_You know you can do this, AJ. You've wrestled with her before and your reviewed your tapes," he consoled._

"_And I've lost. Every. Single. Time." AJ cut him off, tucking her head between her knees in shame. "I'm out of my league here."_

"_No, you aren't. All these years and months of training have been paying off for you. You have to show your strength now," Amy expressed. "Powering out of the Sharpshooter is something everyone will be impressed with. So do it again, and this time, no biting." _

_AJ nodded as her idol climbed into the ring to get a better look of the situation. She leaned over to get a ref like view of the pair. "What about going for a submission?" AJ suggested, causing Amy to smile. She waved Kaitlyn over, urging to be placed in the move._

_After Amy demonstrated the perfect counter, AJ nodded in understanding. "Just try not to bend your back. You can rest on one elbow or arm, but never do it for both. Keep your arms extended and straight and crawl to the ropes. If she tries again, do this move." AJ paid close attention while getting off the mat, placing her hands to her hips and sighing. "And if you pull it off... I'll help you perfect your new finisher in time for WrestleMania," Amy promised, giving a wink._

_AJ's eyes lit up as everyone else frowned. "What new finisher?" Phil asked with a light and nervous smile._

"_The B…" Kaitlyn almost blurted it out until she caught the horrid expression on her best friend's face. She shut her lips and tightly smiled. "Oh… okay. Let's do it again, AJ!" she beamed._

"_Awesome!" AJ shouted with a clap as she got back to work with Amy and Kaitlyn._

_Colt just kept snickering as Phil frowned. "What the fuck is the new finisher?"_

* * *

"And her opponent, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada… Natalya!"

The third-generation breed of the Hart family graced the stage in her black and pink attire, smiling without a care in the world about the fans or the person in the ring. AJ didn't watch her laugh, which was all fog to hide her emotions.

"_JBL, you know how Cole loves his stats, so this one is interesting: AJ and Natalya have been in the ring together since AJ's days as a rookie, but AJ has beaten every diva on the roster at least once except her. I think that's why Natalya's laughing," _King informed.

As JBL pondered over that intriguing piece of information, Cole took this opportunity to let the viewers know how Natalya herself got to this moment. _"This past Friday night on Smackdown, Natalya defeated Paige, who is a rookie from our developmental camp NXT, to advance to tonight's finals. Natalya said after the match she stated that Paige was an example of how hard it's going to be to take this opportunity from her. AJ's good, but not as great as her. She's been with AJ in the ring and the result has never been a happy ending for her. So to say that Natalya's amused would be an understatement."_

"Of course she's amused," JBL responded. "I like AJ, but the kid's out of her league here. Natalya's been the Divas Champion before, and besides that she's tough, aggressive, and skilled in grappling. She's a third-generation Hart, daughter of Jim 'The Anvil' and niece of Bret 'The Hitman'. This isn't a match to her, it's a squashing. For her, fighting AJ is like watching Beyonce and a giant yeti competing in a sing off. Natalya's not going to make this easy."

_12 hours before the Elimination Chamber_

"_You want me to do what?" Natalya scoffed out. She wasn't upset with the idea AJ brought to the Canadian grappler's attention as they rehearsed for their match. "No, AJ, I can't do this. I don't your ribs aren't healed enough from your incident to withstand this."_

"_Yeah, they are," AJ retorted. "I was cleared this morning and besides, it's just a way to move the crowd."_

"_Yeah, a way that's going to earn us a huge earful from Vince," Natalya said. "You know I was told not to put you in a submission move. I dominate and place you on the mat, you cradle me for a pin, 1, 2, 3 and end the match."_

"_I know, but that's been done to death before to you. It's repetitive and boring, and we need something fresh and exciting."_

"_And this is exciting to you?" Natalya sat on the floor outside the ring while waiting for the tag teams to wrap up their rehearsal. "AJ, you've been taking all this risk in the ring lately. You were over the top with Naomi Monday. Is everything okay?" She asked._

"_Everything is fine. I just..." AJ shook her head while taking a sip of her Gatorade and sighing. "I just want to be impressive..."_

"_And you are. Honey, you've outshined most of us ever since you got back. But what you're asking me to do is a bit risky, and I just can't have that burden on my mind if something happens to you."_

_AJ shrugged as she looked around the arena. She nodded to Cody and Clay going at it in the ring. "Look at the guys. They get to fly, kick, low blow, use chairs and tables and so much more. They get to do whatever they want but us girls, we have to be careful. In a wrestling match, __**we're asked to be careful**__," she stressed as Natalya sighed. _

"_And we only get about two to five minutes to display our talents. You started here when they gave you more than that and when you and a certain 'sister' of yours had the chance to compete in table matches. You've even placed your boyfriend in a Sharpshooter," AJ reminded her as they kept watching them rehearse._

"_Don't you remember your first victory in the WWE, Nattie? How awesome it was? How confident you felt about winning?" AJ asked._

_Natalya sighed as she nodded. "Yeah. I was high of the crowd. I wanted to show everyone who I was and make myself special."_

"_Well, don't you want to help me do the same thing?" AJ requested, leaning into her face as Natalya avoided the lock of eyes. Then the puppy like moaning and the doe-eyed pouting came with the little lean from AJ, causing the Hart legacy blond to chuckle and sigh in defeat, relenting to AJ's pleading._

"_Alright, fine. But If I get my ass chewed out by the talent agents, I want sushi for dinner and a toy for Gizmo." Natalya pointed to her former protégé with a curled smile as AJ beamed with excitement. _

"_AND, someone has to have our back. I think you know who to talk to about that."_

"_Definitely."_

* * *

"You alright?" Colt asked as he watched with Amy and Punk from the back, eyeing Natalya as she walked down to the ring. "You seem nervous about this. Or is it your match?"

Phil just frowned with a rub to his chin. "She and Nattie agreed to do something and asked for support. She didn't tell me what, though. Something is up with her. I don't feel good about this."

As Natalya stood on the turnbuckle for her pose, AJ didn't waste any time starting the match. She grabbed Natalya's leg and yanked her down from her spot. The crowd reacted as so did Colt and Phil when Nattie's face landed on the soft turnbuckle, causing her to fall after her head bounced back.

AJ began to throw multiple fists and punches furiously at Natalya's downed form, as the ref tried to gain control of the match. Natalya looked shocked as the ref pulled AJ off her, calming her down as Natalya huddled in the corner fearfully. AJ still went after Natalya, but the Canadian grappler fought back, catching AJ's leg and pushing her away.

Soon, the girls were at a back and forth for dominance. AJ flew high with dropkicks, takedowns, monkey flips and whenever Nattie tried to knock her out, AJ fought back. They even took the fight outside, and it was there that Natalya caught AJ in after she attempted to try a crossbody, and was then rammed into the steel ring post, causing the small spitfire brunette to yelp out in pain. Phil kept cursing under his breath as Natalya threw her back in the ring.

"She'll be fine Phil. Relax," Amy said, causing him to chuckle.

"You're not focused on how she is compared to Natalya."

"No, you're too focused on how she is! You shouldn't be!" she snapped, causing him to pull back. "Just relax, damn it. She's fine," Amy said as the trio turned their focus back on the match.

Natalya began to show cockiness as AJ laid on the mat hazed. Since the spot with the ring post, AJ's lower back became the main target of Natalya's attention, going through numerous backbreakers, suplexes and side slams. Everyone in the arena knew that Natalya was doing this to soften her opponent up for the famous Sharpshooter.

AJ tried to rally, but that attempt was quickly snuffed out when Natalya countered, reversed the position so that she was behind her, and then hit AJ with a painful back suplex that even caused some of the fans in attendance to wince.

Then, the Queen of Harts pulled AJ by her legs and began to prep for her finisher, when all of a sudden, as she was crossing the legs, AJ was able to reach and immediately snatch her down, using her momentum to roll her over into an inside cradle.

_"Wait a minute! Small package from AJ! Here's the count…"_ Cole yelled.

Before the ref's hand slapped the mat for a third time, Natalya kicked out, but it was by mere tenths of a second. AJ, sensing that now her opponent was all but finished, quickly tried to figure out a way to put her away. Eventually, after waiting for Natalya to slowly rise to her knees, she then peppered the weakened third generation star with repeated kicks, which of course, garnered "Yes!" chants from the crowd. AJ used these kicks to start another fast attack, which lead to her using a springboard off the ropes to try and hit her opponent with a hurricanrana.

But Natalya managed to time it and she caught AJ by the legs and brought her crashing back down to the mat before crossing AJ's legs together, with quicker resolve this time, and finally turning her over and locking in the dreaded and deadly Sharpshooter.

AJ, remembering Amy's advice, immediately kept her body up and straight instead of bending her back. The pain was unrelenting, but it managed to keep her from subcuming to the hold.

She slowly made her path to the ropes, and as she was inches away from grabbing her salvation, when Natalya all of a sudden pulled AJ away, dragging her smack dab to the middle of the ring, and then unexpectedly, bridged down and applied an exuberant amount of pressure on her back, bending back extremely too far.

* * *

Phil and Colt were, to say the least, flabbergasted and shocked when they saw this. "What the fuck? That wasn't a part of the script!" Phil exclaimed.

"Dude, she's gonna fucking snap her like a twig!" Colt worried.

"Ames," Phil now called to Amy, snapping her direction back to him. "Did you know about this?" When the redhead didn't respond, instead only turning her head back to the match with a wry smile, Phil immediately caught on. So, without saying anything himself, and despite Colt's shouting curses, he was able to focus on the action in the ring.

It would have been easy for AJ to tap out right then and there. Nobody would have blamed her. She was trapped in an excruciating position, being tortured by Natalya's Sharpshooter, with seemingly nowhere to go. Nattie commanded for her to tap, the ref was asking if she would give; even some of the fans motioned with her hands and arms, pleading and hoping for AJ to quit.

But AJ would not quit. She had come far too damn far and too damn close to give up now. Not with a title shot on the line. Not with the chance to perform in front her friends, family, and 90,000 others in MetLife Stadium on the line. So, with all her strength and reserve, she slowly but surely began to rise up, her wiry arms shaking with a confident resolve, and a powerful purpose. Nattie did a terrific job selling the near Herculean effort, displaying a shocked and dismayed look on her face as AJ elevated out of the agonizing over-extended bridge, and back into standard position, making the crowd pop like crazy.

AJ made sure to have her arms extended out and straight once more. It was unbearable to stay that way and not to tap out, but Natalya did her part, not applying a lot of pressure this time around as they scribbled in the ring. After a few seconds, Phil and Colt sighed in huge relief when AJ crawled over to the near rope, grabbed it, and held onto it for dear life, forcing the ref to help break the submission hold.

* * *

"_And that was impressive and brilliant. Not only fighting out of that bridge, but keeping your arms extended in that hold is rarely done, and AJ managed to successfully make it to the ropes. Very smart of AJ,"_ JBL praised as they continued to call the match. Natalya broke it after a count of four to avoid disqualification, and yelled at the ref in annoyance. AJ started coughing, rubbing her back as she rose to her knees.

"_Natalya is not happy about this at all,"_ Cole said as Natalya shoved AJ down with her foot, pointing in her face and slapping her around. _"And there's the taunting and teasing from Natalya. And… oh it looks like she's going for it again people."_ Natalya prepped her again, still yelling to the crowd how she's better than AJ and that she was the best Diva on the roster as her finger tapped AJ's forehead.

But that gave AJ a chance to hook Nattie in as planned. However, this time, instead of going for another inside cradle, AJ decided to go in a different direction. She kept on leg swinging out of control, when out of the blue, she managed to maneuver her legs together to catch and trap Natalya in a submission, the dangerous Brazilian Heel Hook.

AJ, in the midst of her scouting and watching tapes, discovered that Nattie was somewhat susceptible to the painful submission hold, having been defeated by the now retired Michelle McCool on a few occasions with this move. And with the way that Natalya had to plant her leg in order to set up the Sharpshooter, AJ knew that foot would be ripe pickings for the hold to applied, especially after her extensive Jiu-Jitsu and MMA training with Phil and Daniel during the past few months.

To say this caught Natalya off guard would be a complete understatement. She was in enough shock that AJ somehow powered out of the Sharpshooter, but now she had her in a move that had proven to be a true weakness in the past. Now, it was her turn to writhe around in pain, scream out in sheer agony, and be in a state of distress herself, which gave the fans a sight to see, watching the submission specialist being tortured by, of all things, submission. They also groaned outwardly at how much torque AJ was applying to the hold, and how Natalya's foot was being twisted at an almost grotesque angle.

Nattie tried her best to fight out of it, to find some desperate way to escape. But soon, however, the straining on her foot proved to be too much. The pain was too overbearing, too excruciating, and it was then and there that Natalya could do only one thing, or risk suffering severe injury. Though her stubborn heart and inner pride told her one thing, her body, more specifically, her foot, told her another, and the blonde technician had no choice...

...but to tap out.

Immediately, the referee called for the bell and everyone exploded in great cheers for AJ, watching her roll and duck out of the ring, huffing and puffing out of breath as she clutched her stomach and back.

"Here's your winner… and the number one contender for the Divas Championship… AJ Lee!" Justin announced as AJ cheered in exquisite and peer joy for herself. The NOLA crowd hollered and clapped as the ref raised her hand in victory.

She watched Natalya stare in disbelief as she smiled. This step on her stairway to the top was a tough one, but it was her favorite one yet.

* * *

"That was fucking awesome, kid!" Colt yelled as he spun AJ around, careful not to squeeze too hard due to her aching back, but still celebrating as they watched John make his way to the huge steel chamber. "So, who changed the script?"

"Uh, actually, Nat and I agreed to spice things up," AJ said while drinking her water. Colt froze tensely with very surprised look as she nodded with a bright smile. "I know. Hunter was pissed but, Stephanie pleaded for us, and Amy, who watched it with you, I'm sure, backed us up and said it looked great so, no trouble for me or Nat. I do have to buy her a cat toy but, we're okay and… I won!" she giggled after rambling about as everyone agreed.

"I'm so proud of you and impressed. And so is Punk," Amy nodded as they watched the ring. John and Daniel entered their respective pods as Ryback made his way down. Amy leaned over to AJ as the beast from Sin City entered the third pod. "Um… did Phil tell you what was going on in this match? Why did they take Kane out?"

AJ stopped smiling, pressing her lips together nervously. "Yeah. He told me."

Colt and Amy looked relieved when she answered them, but then her worried frown stopped the relief. "AJ?" Colt asked with confusion as AJ just looked away unhappy. "AJ, look at me please. What's going on?"

"I thought he told you about it. I mean, we talked about it…"

"About what, AJ?" Amy asked, also concerned for her best friend.

Before AJ could speak up, a familiar siren blared through the tech speakers and they all looked to the ring, causing the New Orleans Arena to erupt as "The Next Big Thing" played. They all watched Brock Lesnar, former WWE Champion, former UFC Heavyweight Champion; the man who broke the arm of Shawn Michaels, ended the career of Triple H, and then supposedly quit soon after, entered the front of the stage and posed with a prepping jog before making his way down the ramp.

They watched the faces of John Cena, Daniel Bryan and Ryback showcase their own looks of surprise and shock as Brock looked at each and every one of them, grinning brashly before he made his way to the final pod in the corner.

"Holy fuck," Amy muttered quietly as Punk made his way to the ring as the person to kick things off, looking at The Rock who entered before him. He raised the belt above his head in glory. Paul's expression was blank as he accompanied him to the entrance, only to stop, pat Phil on the shoulder positively before leaving him and heading to the back.

"Shit's about to go down, isn't it?" Colt asked.

AJ nodded dejectedly as the officials closed the gate to the chambers, securing all the locks before the ref in the ring called for the bell. "Yeah... it is."

* * *

At 10:45, it happened as planned.

All the participants of this brutal, intense, physical, yet amazing match were in the ring at one point. Then Daniel received an emphatic F-5 before being eliminated. When Phil was hoisted up by Ryback for Shellshock, Brock regained enough strength to tackle him with a vicious, which helped Punk pin him out the match.

With Rock and John being left in, the two protégés of Paul Heyman teamed up to take them out. The crowd heat fed Brock as he stomped into John's chest with his foot. Punk tossed around with Rock in a back and forth exchange before knocking him down with a roundhouse kick. John fought back against Brock only to be caught in a full nelson submission.

That's when Punk went for the chance to take out John, but without focusing on the stance of the pair, he just delivered another roundhouse kick. This time, only the shin of his leg hit John and his whole entire foot slapped Brock, knocking them both down. The element of chance was there for John to take Brock out as his arm landed on Lesnar's chest. Before anyone could do anything about it, the ref counted to three, counting Brock out as he kicked out too late.

Punk was too busy going back and forth with Rock to see the enraged look on Lesnar's face. He was fuming, and downright pissed. And the fans were in for a huge surprise when his reaction came to light. As Punk climbed the top rope, Brock grabbed Punk by the neck, shocking everyone as he tossed him out the ring, causing the champion to collide with the chain-décor cage hard. Punk shouted out in pain as Brock glared down, thinking of how to teach the champ a lesson. He saw the refs trying to stop him and even heard the pleading roars from Paul Heyman when he picked Punk up. He tossed him again… and again… and again once more into the fence with a sinister look on his face.

Punk's face dripped with blood as the last collision cut him, and as Brock left laughing at him, Punk crawled miserably back into the ring. He was coughing, huffing and wiping the blood away from his eyes. As he stood up to his feet slowly, Rock was there lurking behind him, waiting, watching him turn before delivering a thunderous spinebuster to the champ. The Great One taunted his millions and millions before running to the ropes and swiftly dropping the People's Elbow on Punk.

Three seconds later, it ended. CM Punk's place in the match ended. His days as the longest reigning champion of the modern era, ended. His chance to main event and headline the biggest event of the year, ended.

And his wonderful time as the real people's champion and an icon in his prime... _ended_.

* * *

Woah. AJ v Eve at Wrestlemania...and Punk v. Brock as well. What will happened on the way there? You'll have to see in the next chapter.

#HappyBirthdayAJ

#PunkleeNation

#20-1

#RunninonCrazyCreations


	27. The Make-Up Pt 1

Punk's locker room

Monday Night RAW in Lafayette, LA

* * *

"You should have said something to us first, damnit!" Amy yelled in anger. "I mean, what the fuck, Phil? You didn't tell us that Brock was going to screw you over and hurt you like that."

"Amy, I really don't think we should talk about this right now. He already has to deal with, considering the fact that he lost his title," AJ urged. Phil hissed as AJ sat next to him, patting his newly stitched head with a water soaked cloth.

"Sorry I left those notes out during the team meeting," Phil teased.

Amy scoffed at his lack of concern. She'd been gasping, wincing and cursing as she watched the match with AJ the night prior. Now it was Monday night, and as they all got ready for the show, Amy chose to lash out her raging rant about the PPV.

AJ knew Amy hated watching her close friend lose, but to see him get his ass kicked really set her off. She yelled at him like an overbearing mother, and had been since the night before. That may have been why Phil didn't mention it to her in the first place.

"I'm glad this is so funny to you, but please tell me why you stupidly agreed to fight Brock at WrestleMania."

Phil just shrugged with a tight frown. "It sounds like a fun Road to WrestleMania. If I can't headline the show, then maybe I should participate in a conflicting, swaggering, emotionally tense storyline with him. I mean, come on, think about it: Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk: Who's the better Paul Heyman Guy?" he lightly quipped.

"I gotta admit, it does have a nice ring to it," Colt muttered begrudgingly while reading, and then groaned when Amy's fist connected with his gut.

"Punk, this is dangerous," Amy warned.

"Oh, but I love danger, Ames. You know that. And unless I owe you ten percent… actually I don't even owe you an explanation. It's still happening," He informed them.

"So you're a babyface now?" AJ asked.

"I don't know. I'm just seeing where it goes," he responded. "And last night was great."

"You lost, and Brock almost crushed you with the chains on the cage. I don't see what was so 'great' about that," Amy reminded him, causing Phil to laugh as he stood up.

"Oh, Amy, Amy. My dear sweet Amy," he cooed, then grabbed her cheeks and sighed. "You _do_ still love me."

"I'd rather drool over One Direction," She moaned sarcastically, wincing as Punk kissed her cheek playfully. "And you also nearly gave your girlfriend a panic attack."

"You did scare me with that last hit. You landed on the steel pretty hard," AJ said while pouting.

"You two are gross. And now that I'm stressed, I need some coffee," Amy groaned, leaving the locker room with Colt as AJ smiled his way.

He playfully pouted as she stood up with him. "Look at you: you're the number one contender, and now you have a match at Wrestlemania. At least it'll be one reason to make me forget about how I feel about Rock holding my belt."

"You don't mean that," she stated dejectedly.

"Hell yeah, I do." Phil wrapped an arm around her as he nodded. "You were fantastic out there. You used all the skills we taught you, and you finally countered out of the Sharpshooter!" he shook her gently as she rolled her eyes smiling. "You can't tell me that didn't feel great."

After a few seconds, a squeal left her throat beyond her bright smile, making her finally crack. "It totally did!" she beamed before inhaling. "I mean, it hurt like hell to keep my back like that but… everyone was cheering for me to make it to the ropes and when I did, it was such a relief to finally do it. Then I pinned her and….it was so great!" AJ jumped right into his arms and pulled Phil into a hug, laughing with pure joy.

He ignored the pain shooting from his body as she pressed herself against him softly, embracing her gingerly as he just wrapped him arm around her waist. She slowly pulled away and snorted awkwardly as they all walked away. "We should celebrate that huge win," He suggested.

"Okay," She nodded. "That's fine. It sounds nice. We'll just have to wait for everyone else to be done and find-"

"AJ," he cut her off while looking down at her. "I meant we should go out," he said with a grin. She looked everyone for an input, but was left hanging as they decided to have a conversation of their own. He raised his eyebrows suggestively as she followed and finally figured it all out, at a loss of words before talking.

"Oh… oh you mean… you and I?" she asked. He nodded in response as she awkwardly looked away before asking her next question. "As in… on a date?"

"Well, yeah," he chuckled out. "I mean... I realized that we don't ever get the chance to hang out together, or be alone for that matter. Not since the hospital."

AJ nodded with him as he rambled out, noticing the way his shoulders tensed, and how he rubbed his hands together. He only does that when he's excited or nervous. And as soon as his hand rubbed the back of his neck, she blushed in her form as well. He was really asking her out on a date.

"Well…" she chimed while leaning closer to him, wrapping her arm to grab that hand to hold as she spoke. "Mark Henry always talks about the great places to eat. I'll ask him where to go and we can have breakfast tomorrow before we head out."

Phil's smile grew brighter as she admired him. "Sounds great." They kept walking the halls of the arena, this time, hand in hand with huge smiles blinding everyone.

Friendly was the limit between them right now. Yet, no matter how she told herself that, it still sounded like crap. He just asked her out on date, not a friendly outing. He wanted to date her. She may have wanted to be his friend, but deep down, she wanted to be his girlfriend.

She wanted to be his everything.

* * *

Punk groaned as he tossed things around in his tour bus closet, letting a rain of shirts hit the bed. Amy heard it as she chatted over the phone, and Kofi just kept snickering as a Celtics game played from his laptop. In fact, it was quite calm after a storm of swears and shouts he let out that morning.

Amy couldn't help but smile to herself when he told her why he needed an outfit for the night. AJ even rambled on breathlessly after her match. He actually stepped up to ask her on a date, one without her protective friends or his buddies. It was progress from the both of them, and Amy knew how the morning was going to happen. This was a romantic date; not friendly. AJPunk, as the fans called it, would soon have green light on shortly afterwards.

"Motherfucking shit!" Phil shouted while tossing the bag out the door and kicked a cabinet shut, causing Kofi to stand as Amy frowned.

"Trish, I'll call you back later," Amy told her Canadian friend over the phone while entering the room, shrugging with concern as she saw Phil crash into his bed hiding his face, dressed in his jeans and sneakers without a shirt on. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" she bluntly asked. "Normally, when you're going out on a date, you're happy about it."

"I know but I fucking ruined shit already by losing something!" he stressed while sitting up. He looked around the room with a scowl. "I thought I packed it, but I guess I didn't and now that I have a chance to wear it, it's not here. Goddammit!" he shouted while kicking another bag.

"What's not here?" Kofi asked while walking into the room.

Phil sighed with a shrug. "AJ got me a shirt during her stay in Puerto Rico. It's a cover of an Iron Man comic in Spanish and it's hard to find. She brought me a gift and I fucking lost it."

"Antonio Stark?" Kofi asked as Phil groaned. "Oh!" Kofi snapped his fingers in realization, and reached into his den cabinet for a certain red shirt, hurling it to him while smiling. "Colt stuffed it in his bags and I noticed it, so I took it from him before he left. I tucked it back here just for you."

Phil's frown fell and Amy snorted, seeing how his rage got the best of him for no particular reason. "Now... can you please quiet the fuck down and let me watch my Celtics beat the Lakers in peace?"

"I hope Artest throws an elbow at one of those dickhead fucks," Phil grumbled as Kofi merely rolled his eyes, leaving Amy leaning against the frame with a smile. "What?" he shrugged at her.

"I haven't seen you this nervous since Lars took you out and introduced you Joey Ramone." Phil scoffed out a smirk as he tugged the shirt on. "If it helps you at all, AJ's been sending me pics of her jeans to check if her ass looks great in them. Kaitlyn gave up on her after the fourth pair."

He chuckled lightly, spraying a hint of cologne before picking up his wallet and phone. "Well, I just want to make her happy."

"You're putting in a shit load of overtime in that department, that's for sure," she noted. He walked towards her as she patted his back. "You'll be fine. Just… let it flow."

He nodded. "I know. I just can't screw this up," he sighed.

"You won't," Amy said, watching him rub his head gently with a smile. "You wanna know what she said to me after you told her the truth?"

"It wouldn't hurt to know."

* * *

"_AJ?" Amy called out while knocking on the door. After what had happened on the bus, AJ opted to switch rooms and stay with Layla instead of being anywhere near Phil. No one understood what was going on in AJ's head since she would not explain her feelings, but she didn't need to have this looming over her head. Especially not when her first match since coming back was in the next few hours. _

"_You almost ready? You have to be at the arena to rehearse."_

"_In a minute," she finally answered Amy. As the locks unclicked, Amy walked in slowly, hearing her dog bark as AJ kept packing up her bags and getting more stuff together for the day. "Hey, are you ok?" she asked sincerely, letting Kenz play around with her Chihuahua as AJ kept packing._

"_Yep. I just needed to get my new outfit together. I'll be just fine," AJ answered emotionlessly as she looked around._

_Amy frowned and glanced towards her phone, noticing all her photos with a smile. "Aww, this is a cute photo of you and Kaitlyn." AJ winced at the mere mention of her best friend. Bingo. "I knew it. You're still pissed," Amy stated as AJ pressed her lips together tensely. "I don't blame you April. I mean, what they did ticked me off too. But you have to remember to leave all the personal bullshit at the door when you enter work. You don't want anyone to know what's going on."_

"_I know," AJ muttered. "I just… I just hoped for things to be great when I came back. I was ready to be with him, but…now I'm not so excited about it. And the fact he did it with Kaitlyn, who… or was the closest friend I had here just makes it worse."_

"_How excited were you?"_

"_I might have puked a rainbow or two after New Year's Eve. It's like puking alcohol but it burns because off all the colors." Amy chuckled a little while AJ shook her head. "I'm just upset that this Cinderella comeback I had isn't real anymore."_

"_So… you're not completely mad at him or Kaitlyn?" Amy asked curiously._

"_Oh no, I'm pissed. Very much pissed. But I don't feel bitter about it. I did leave without taking in the consideration that Phil or Kaitlyn went through to protect me," AJ nodded as Amy realized what was going on. "That and Kaitlyn is gorgeous; drop dead in fact. If she wasn't the one he wanted to be with, someone else would have stepped up."_

"_You thought he became a born again virgin for you?"_

"_Well, no. I just thought he would have moved on without me if I never came back. And when he showed up to get me after Thanksgiving, I knew I was wrong."_

"_And you're wrong about him right now," Amy sighed in frustration. "They're both wrong too. It was one stupid ass mistake that I doubt will ever happen again. I've been where you all were before. I created something similar to it. Be happy they didn't go as far as I did. I think you should work it out whenever you feel ready to._

_Amy then brought her face down to AJ's, making sure she sure she heard her next statement. "But make no mistake about it, you're the one he wants, April. No one can compete with what you two have been going through these past months. It brought you two closer together. That's why, whether he's been with me, Kaitlyn, Catwoman or the Duchess of Cambridge, he's always going to choose you over someone else." _

_AJ simply smiled with Amy, who gazed at her with definite eyes as AJ just nodded._

"_Okay, but I don't know if being with him is right for us now."_

"_Why?"_

"_I just feel the need to take more steps towards recovering." Amy bobbed her head in understanding. "Before this whole ordeal, he hardly looked my way. I know it will happen but, I need to get myself together completely before I commit to someone else again. And depending on him isn't healthy for me, either."_

"_I don't know how he'll feel about that, but he should understand why you have to do it. He'll do anything for you."_

"_I just hope he's still around when I decided to," AJ stated worriedly._

"_Oh, he will," Amy assured. "I could walk around his house without a shirt and he'll start thinking about how your tits look better in my bra."_

"_Oh God, Amy!" They laughed while leaning onto one another and it turned into a good release of stress between two friends. AJ wiped a leaking tear from her eye as Amy wrapped an arm around, hugging her receptively. "Thanks for understanding."_

* * *

Phil frowned, shaking his head as Amy just pouted. "So… she broke up with me… just to make herself perfect for me?"

"Not just for you, but you're basically reason number one," she confirmed. His eyes blinked rapidly as she shrugged. "I mean, what do you expect after all she's been through? She may look confident sometimes, but there's still this little part of her that thinks Kaitlyn was just a warning. She still doesn't think you would have even given her a second glance if her attack didn't happen. She thinks you're too wonderful and amazing to be stuck with her, and since she likes her new persona and outlook on life, she wants to use that to outshine any other woman you've ever dated."

"But I don't want that. I just want her to be herself. I want her to be just April," he retorted. "I fell for her when she was at her worst. I got to know her as she got better and I fell for…" he cut himself off as Amy and Kofi just smiled.

"I fought her to come back here. I don't know how clear I have to be about my feelings for her."

"Just keep at it. She'll crack," Amy said with a smile.

* * *

"So... how do you feel about going after the belt?" Phil asked, seating next to April in a small bakery and restaurant that was suggested with high regards for the romantic feel and the breakfast menu. He watched her beam as they talked about the Road to WrestleMania and the meeting she had with Hunter a few days ago over eggs and fritters.

"Actually, it's up in the air. I just earned the title shot, but I don't know if I'll win yet. Hunter said I'll get a script tomorrow, and I have to fight Nattie again to show off Eve tonight."

"Really?" he asked with an amused frown. "You know she used to kick your ass a bunch, right? One win doesn't make you God. Or did she and Beth knock you around so much that you enjoyed it?"

"Oh, don't worry, I quite remember my jobbing days. I also remember how you looked riding into WrestleMania with John as a gangster, but we aren't going to bring that up right now out of respect," she sassed while eating.

He snorted at her attitude. Her wit and charm never ceased to amuse him and now she was even more snarky and vivacious; kind of like him, but more funnier in the sarcastic department, along with adorable and beautiful whenever she's laughing along.

It was one of the many reasons why he loved her. How in the world could she think she wasn't good enough for him?

"Touche. So, you and Eve will chick banter until WrestleMania," he finished with a nod.

"I know. And I think we're all gonna have fun with it. Everyone is happy for me, so they say. And since I'm a Jersey Girl, adding me to the card for WrestleMania sounded great," She reasoned. "Besides, I'll get to be on both shows if I'm champ but that's the only change. It's not a big deal."

He shook his head as she stopped eating again. "It's a _huge_ deal, AJ. The home state crowd should like that. This is great news for you, babe," he said.

"I know. It was all Amy's idea, actually." He raised an eyebrow as he sat up straight. "Yeah, Hunter said she created a whole chart with Stephanie."

"Oh, really," he moaned deviously as she scoffed. "You don't think you'll win the belt now that your home girl signed to an appearance contract?" he teased.

"No. In fact, if Lita screws me and kicks my ass, I'll be on cloud nine. It's great for my history as a superstar and at least I'll have the chance to wrestle my favorite female. My kids will love that story one day." She bragged with a head tilt and smile, chuckling as he nodded amusingly.

"You two should just make out and get it over with," she heard a nearby observer say. She simply shook her head while tucking her hair behind her eyes shyly. "So, what about you? You're match was awesome. What's the deal with your rematch clause not being exercised?" she asked, watching the smile he wore for her leave. She could still see how disappointed and bummed he was about losing to the title at the Pay Per View. He glanced away, chuckling lightly as she frowned.

"What?"

"Well, I'm not going to go on a rampage and dump you. I'm not Danny Boy."

"But what if you…" she cut herself off as he shook his head slowly. "No? You're not getting another shot any time soon?"

"Since John picked the WWE Champion after winning the Rumble, it turns out they want to do him and Rocky again. So if it's not a Triple Threat for the belt, then I'm going to have to go one on one with Brock."

He said with his face frowned painfully. He scoffed out while looking at her, seeing her frown harshly after she stopped eating. "If you want to go crazy, now would be appropriate."

She let out a sharp exhale as he nodded. "I'm just upset you'll lose another chance to be a main event and headline the biggest pay per view of the year. It's bullshit. Fucking bullshit!" She spat loudly, catching the attention of a disgruntled guy next to them. She shrugged in annoyance as he kept looking.

"I'm having a conversation here. May I help you?" she asked, not seeing Phil look amused by her defensive nature. "If you're not going to ask me out, please stop fucking staring at me like that and keep reading your shitty book."

His eyes smiled for her as he grabbed her hand. She turned back to him and stared his way as he spoke.

"First off, if you want this friendship thing to work, cursing like a sailor gives a real fucking rock hard boner, _especially_ when it comes from you. That was really fucking sexy, babe." She snorted at his adulation as he smiled for her. "And secondly, trust me, after awhile you get used to being tossed aside for something 'better'."

"But you're the best wrestler they have around here. You prove that every damn night." She stated. "I just thought they would treat you better after all you've done for them."

"Tell me something I don't know kid. But, no matter how sick I am of it, I'm just gonna talk to Paul and Brock about how we can outshine "Twice in a Lifetime" with better promos and a better skill set. All I can do is now watch and see how-hopefully-the crowd eats it up," he surmised.

As they continued with their date, her laughter became even more bubbly and infectious, as his teasing yet flirtatious behavior made their time together amazing. This was their first real independent outing, yet it felt like a normal great time with just the two of them. He gently placed his hand on her thigh as she brought herself closer to his side, slowly erasing the needless space between them and letting the chemistry intensify as she touched him.

"Thanks for bringing me out," she said, smiling as his grin grew brightly.

"Thanks for not turning me down," he countered.

She frowned playfully. "It's hard to do that when it comes to you."

"Good. I just wanted to show you how proud I am. You did a great job, in your match and in your life."

"I know. Again, I can never be you but, at least I came second," she joked while leaning onto his shoulder. He smiled down looking at her. "What?" she chuckled out softly.

"We're sitting here talking about WreslteMania, and the day leading up to that… I just started thinking about all the hype that'll get behind you if you do get that far."

"I know. I'm so excited about it. I can't wait to be home for the week. I'm going to my old training camp with JBL and Darren to speak and mentor, and then I'm hosting a B.A. Star rally at my High School. I have tons of interviews; along with being in New York. I'm just so... happy."

"I am, too. And, with Amy inducting her BFF Trish into the Hall of Fame, I'll just be stuck sitting with Colt all night, which leaves open one more seat for MSG that night." Her eyes soften as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively for her. She kept her eyes down as he bobbed around the question. "I would like it if you filled that seat next to me."

"Oh. You… you want us to go together?" she asked as he moaned awkwardly as he rubbed his neck. She felt her heart jump at his attempt. He actually looked shy when asking her.

"I mean, yeah. Unless you and Kaitlyn have this girl date thing going on, I don't want to get in the way…"

"Actually, we uh, actually have dates."

He cleared his throat and coughed with a frown after she stated that. He silently muttered something along the line of _'I fucking knew it'_ and she frowned. "Oh, no. No, Phil, it's not a date like… oh, this is embarrassing," she moaned while bowing her head. "I actually… asked Robert to come."

Phil looked reviled as she groaned. "Your brother, huh?"

"Yeah." Now it was her turn to rub the back of her neck awkwardly. He heard me tell Rose about it, and then he started going on and on about how he's headed to France for station duty in August, and how he would love to see his girl crush Trish and his hero Bruno get inducted, and before I could object, Rose started asking me about dresses…."

"Babe, babe! I get it," he called at her silently as she snapped back to reality as soon as he caressed her chin with his fingertips, smiling for her as she exhaled. "It's fine. It's actually pretty cool. He's gonna have a lot of fun."

"I know. They heard me say formal attire and automatically, I thought about my missed prom night."

"Oh, I forgot about that," Phil remembered.

"I wish I could, now more than ever," April groaned. "It just reminds me of all the pretty people who afford a beautiful dress, the lame corsage, rental limos and awkward photos with dates…"

"You wanted all that?" he asked. She shrugged as he nodded. "Who says you can't have that?"

She scoffed, amused by the question. "I'm turning 26 in about a month. The high school fairytale moments are over for me. It's all on corny teen films and Glee episodes for me to watch now."

"Never say never," he chimed as she smiled. "And what's this about the pretty people? You are one of them."

She shrugged while chewing her food. "I mean, my personality is great but, that's not taken into account most of the time."

"April, listen to me. You are beautiful. And not only that, you're tough, you're smart… you're simply amazing," he urged while tilting his head, looking into her eyes as they spoke. He watched those glowing brown orbs of heres soften after locking with his mossy green ones.

"I learned that about you when we first made contact. And it doesn't matter how I got to know you. I fell in love with it. You're not ordinary and I love that about you."

She stopped eating and blushed his way. "So, you still want to be with me?"

"April, I'm in love with you. I know you're in love with me. I see it every time you look at me, and when you blush at me. I can tolerate all the lame witty humor as long as you're smiling afterward. When you kiss me, I can feel it. But besides that, I'm so proud of you and how far you've come, and I'm the one who has this honor of being by your side after all you've been through. I don't see you as weak. I never did. I just want you to feel safe again."

She nodded and he shook his head smiling brightly. "I'm crazy about you now, no matter how it happened."

She bit and chewed on her bottom lip nervously, and bowed her head down with a shy smile. After all this time, after everything he did, she still believed in him.

"I forgive you… for everything," she eventually said.

"I know. I'm still sorry. I plan on making up and making things right."

"I know… I am in love with you. And there's no one else I want to be with more."

"I meant everything I said before, Ape. I should have told you this long before you left, and then showed you."

She blushed and he leaned over, biting his lips flirtatiously. "But when you're ready, it will be the best moment of your life."

"Oh, I hope so." she awed and tilted her head fully, giving him the kiss he'd been dying to receive. He finally felt a huge weight lifted as she relaxed against him, letting him wrap his hands around her. Having her back felt amazing and he wasn't going to do anything else to ruin it. In fact, he was going to put in a lot of work in keeping her.

As they pulled apart, both of them couldn't help but blush over the moment. AJ licked her bottom lip as he spoke. "So, April Jeanette Mendez…" she kept looking at him as he caressed her hand. "Will you _be_ with me?" he asked in a playful seductive voice. She laughed at the request, nodding eagerly as he cheered silently.

"I can't wait to sweep you off your feet in the lamest way possible." He promised as she giggled.

"You're off to a good start, Phillip Jack Brooks," she confirmed with a huge grin as they continued on with the date.

Phil, meanwhile, was mentally doing backflips as they left the restaurant, walking hand in hand, body to body in comfort as they enjoyed the sights of the city. They did it as a couple. This was how things should be. April and Phil, or AJ and Punk; it didn't matter how you addressed them. They would be together and all the people, family or friends, in his life would be happy.

Now that he had her back, he needed to fix everything else wrong with their little family. Even if a certain someone wanted to kick his ass first, things needed to be right, for the sake of everyone involved.

* * *

Yeah...their back together! *Clapping* And its for good! It was pretty brave for Punk to ask her out to celebrate her big win, even though he got his ass kicked by Brock and lost his title. But they got back together! lol

AJ's birthday chapter is next...is it really going to be a happy birthday for her?


	28. The Make-Up Pt 2

AN: Monday=an update! Happy Reading. In celebration of AJ being one of the main focuses of Tonight's Raw Episode of Raw WITHOUT Ziggles, This chapter is for all her fans. As well as those who love Kaitlyn and her friendship. Oh and Punklee. Duh! I don't own any of them, but I dig them enough to write about them. ENJOY!

* * *

"You are _way_ too excited to do this," Colt said as he exited the bus with Kofi, closing it slowly. With a wicked smile on her face and her hands in her pocket, Amy Dumas watched as cars parked in front of her and people approached Punk's tour bus. They were out in Cincinnati, Ohio for the next show as scheduled. But today wasn't just a normal day. At least, not for one of her friends.

"What can I say? As a kid, a day like this was very important to me. No one should skip the advantages of any celebration. And since I'm AJ's friend, I owe Punk big time for sort of breaking them up… _twice_, and I want to eat breakfast in a restaurant today. So I'm doing it," she declared.

"I thought _Punk_ was dating AJ, here, or was it just my imagination, Amy?" John asked as he joined them, holding Eve's hand in one of his pockets and smiling. "First, you showed up on RAW last night and announced yourself as the special enforcer for her match, now this. You're trying to get in her pants too, huh?"

"Oh, fuck off, Mr. Thuganomics," Amy snapped playfully. "I want AJ to have a good day. She deserves it."

"Agreed," Layla said as she approached the group with Daniel. She beamed as Kaitlyn walked off the bus lastly. "They're still sleeping?" she asked

"No. They just got dressed for the day and went back to bed. I told them we stopped for groceries," the muscle toned girl responded groggily, pulling her hair into a ponytail with a weak smile.

John frowned at her. The bags under her eyes and the redness in her face alarmed him. "You look a little under the weather there, Kait," he observed, causing everyone to notice the tired look on her always bright face.

She shook her head and shrugged. "I just missed a few hours of sleep. I'll be fine after this," Kaitlyn said as she looked at Daniel. She passed him something very important and needed for the moment.

"Okay. Now, wait for the signal," Amy ordered as they agreed. She and Daniel reentered the bus, nodding to the driver as they walked through the cabin and into the back, listening into Punk's bedroom door with caution.

Hearing the both of them laugh and talk, wrapped up in one another's arms for comfort, was a pleasant sound. It made Daniel miss his girl Brie and hope for the happy ending AJ and Phil both deserved.

Amy gave up on her own happy ending in the past, but she wasn't going to ruin it for them just because she didn't have one yet. She was all about supporting the people she cared about. Hopefully, after they do this, they'll laugh it off and remember the love.

After tucking the earplug into her right ear and helping Daniel out with his, she hushed her ears with her hands as he squeezed his eye in fear. Once he pushed the red button on the megaphone, the siren sound blared through the small cabin, and then she laughed as he pressed his lips close into the mic. "GOOD MORNING, GOOD CITIZENS!" Daniel shouted, imitating Bane from _The Dark Knight Rises_ a little as he opened the door.

Amy couldn't deny the satisfaction she felt once AJ jumped up screaming, wrapping the sheet around her as Punk tossed around in shock from the sound. "Rise and shine, lazy beauty! Up, up, up! C'mon, the morning is a short time in the day that's wasted, but not today!" Daniel continued to shout as Punk reached for them, trying to stop the unbearable noise. Daniel jumped away while laughing. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHORTY!"

"What the fuck…" Before Punk could ask, they heard a cluster of banging and yelling as AJ covered her growing smile with her pillow. The group entered the bus, filling up the cabin as AJ kept giggling. Kaitlyn was the final one to enter, holding a flame to a candle of a Happy Birthday cupcake. "You are a group of complete lame asses," Punk voiced.

"You're just pissed you didn't think it up" Amy bragged before smiling.

"Make a wish, AJ," Kaitlyn urged.

AJ looked around the room and couldn't help but question her luck. This was a huge upgrade from the way she woke up on March 19th last year. John and Punk would only say hi's and byes, Layla and Kaitlyn were road buddies, Kofi and Eve were just co-workers, and Daniel only went over scripts with her. Even Amy, who only remembered her as a crying fan if she could, decided to become her friend.

They could be pretending out of sympathy, but she realized after her return that only these people displayed the true features of being her friends. She rubbed the thunderbolt necklace Phil gave her with a huge smile as she blew out the single candle, blushing while they all cheered for her.

"Alright, AJ. Let's get you some breakfast, kid. Amy and I found your spot in this town and they've reserved a section just for us." John spoke up as she grasped, looking through the blinds to see the signs.

"You found an Original Pancake house!" she squealed as Phil laughed with them.

"You're favorite place to eat all the themed pancakes you want without remorse," Phil said, pulling her into a soft and long kiss as everyone groaned and aww'd. He looked around as he separated. "Eat shit haters, and get the fuck out of my room! Let's get this day over with so my girl can have an awesome birthday."

AJ sighed as she stood up with a pleasant smile. "It's already awesome."

* * *

"Kaitlyn, it's AJ, I'm here okay?" AJ kept repeating herself as the medical staff helped Kaitlyn regain consciousness in the trainer's room. She watched her best friend blink her eyes and her breath return to normal after a few minutes. "You scared me out there. You alright?"

Kaitlyn gave her a thumb up as the medic placed an oxygen mask on her face. "We're just going to place you under for few seconds so you can rest, okay?" She nodded again as a medic helped her lay down, helping her relax as AJ stood by.

During the match, Kaitlyn looked fine. Yet once she laid Eve out with her spear, she had to scramble to get to AJ and tagged her in as Eve reached Aksana. She watched as AJ continued to build her momentum, but after a few seconds, everything changed. The Hybrid diva kept breathing rapidly and since AJ didn't have to tag her back in, she began to feel exhausted, and immediately crouched over the steel steps, clutching her chest in tremendous pain as she sank down outside the ring. Some fans rose up to check on her, and AJ continued the match as planned. Eve walked out on Aksana in annoyance, and AJ cut down the Lithuanian beauty with a Shining Wizard for the pin.

She didn't wait for guest referee Layla to raise her hand in victory. She immediately slid out the ring to check on her. Seeing her friend in this condition just AJ's eyes tear up as Kaitlyn's breathing only got worse. AJ patted her hair away from her face as Kait's eyes tightened in pain. Layla kneeled down as she tried to calm her down, waving her hands in front of her to reduce the heat on her. They saw Kaitlyn fading so Layla crossed her arms in an X form, causing a ref and a medic to join her. This scared AJ to bits as she helped Kaitlyn off the floor and into the back, where the medical staff awaited her with a stretcher.

AJ kept her hand in Kaitlyn once she fell under, and looked outside the door to see Phil and Stephen pushing through the crowded area to get to them. "AJ, what happened? Are you okay?" Phil asked with worry in his frown.

"I'm fine," she answered. "But Kaitlyn kept saying her chest hurts and she won't stop breathing briskly."

"I can't have this many people around her, AJ," The doctor advised. "I need the door closed."

Stephen refused to move. She noticed the helpless, worried filled frown he wore, his eyes on Kaitlyn's now sleeping body. For some reason, it made her blood boil.

"Don't even think about staying in here," AJ spat harshly, glaring up at in anger as she stepped out, closing the door behind her. "You need to back off."

"Excuse me?" he scoffed out. "You can't stop me…."

"You have a lot of nerve telling _me_ what I can and can't do with her!" she yelled as she reached up, shoving him away from the door.

"What the hell is your problem?" Stephen shouted back, causing a scene as he fought away from Wade and Dolph, who helped keep him back from AJ.

Phil got in the middle to calm AJ down, not familiar with this defense side of his girlfriend. "April, please. He just wants to see her. He's not upset," he reasoned.

"I really don't give a shit about how he feels now," she fired back at Phil. "Clearly, he hasn't shown any worry about her lately. So tell him to check on Aksana's bruised cheek instead!"

Stephen frowned as everyone near the room watched AJ rage on. His face glared her way as the fire in her almond eyes burned with fury. He remembers talking to Aksana in the catering hall before the show, but what did that have to do with this?

"AJ, he's just worried about her," Wade defended with a bass in his voice also.

"Oh, please! Worried my ass!" she scoffed in return. She pushed past Phil's arm to stare at Stephen, clearly wanting to defend her ill best friend. "You haven't talked to her or acknowledged her for days. You've been ignoring her completely. Now, she's hurt and _suddenly_ you decide to care about her? I call bullshit!"

Layla and Eve even looked shocked by her words as Stephen shook his head. "I've always cared about her, April, you know that." He reasoned.

"Oh, really?" she questioned, looking back to see them still working on her. She shrugged in confusion. "She's having chest pains, and couldn't stop breathing out there. She told Layla and me that her heart was aching. She's been feeling this way for the last two months."

"When you didn't talk to her or forgive her, it hurt her. Now that she thinks you don't want her, her heart is broken. Is that what you were going for? Did you want her to feel how you felt?" AJ continued to scream as a tear left her eye. Phil was starting to get upset with the Irish man just for upsetting his girl.

"Wake up, Stephen! She feels it! Now you can see her heart isn't as tough as yours. I understand how angry you were, but honestly, if you cared about Kaitlyn as much as you say you do, this wouldn't have happened."

"AJ, it's not your place to do this." Wade defended.

"It's _always_ been my place. She's been protecting me, so I'm doing the same thing," she stressed. She didn't think about the impact of her words when she directed them to Stephen with a frown. "This is all _your_ fault."

AJ knew she was being harsh to Stephen, but he needed a slap of reality. No one was being honest with him or about his heartless behavior. She didn't look back as she reentered the room, taking a deep breath as she rejoined Kaitlyn's side.

She wished for everyone to be happy when she blew out that first candle and right now, her wish seemed to be nonexistent. What a sucky birthday this turned out to be.

* * *

"Sheamo!" Phil called out, flagged looking for Stephen. After the whole scene, Stephen just kicked everything in sight as he entered the locker room. Both of them were still panting and limping as a result of a battle they had for Main Event. Phil received a full-on ass whooping from the Celtic warrior in a Falls Count Anywhere match, a great match he lost to Stephen and gladly accepted.

Surprisingly, the Irishman stopped, wiping his sweat down as he looked to Phil with a relax face. "What do you want, Punk?"

"Are you done yet?" Phil asked with a scowl.

"Done with what?"

"Done with being a grouch? I mean, normally, if you were some asshole who wasn't important to me, I would yell at you too." Phil stood still as he grabbed a water bottle from a cooler. "But I can see that what AJ said earlier struck a nerve. I know you hate my guts, but tell me how you feel, man. It might make you feel better."

"It's not about how I feel right now," Stephen said coldly.

"Yeah, I know. It was about her." Phil grabbed a bottle and extended it, hoping to see Stephen would finally see the light. "I'll let you kick my ass again tomorrow at the house show if it makes you feel good to do it again. But I can't watch you look so unhappy, man. It's not like you. You're a good friend, Stephen, and our little lunch table clique is light without the foreign exchange student."

That comment did earn a light snort and weak smile from Stephen and a relaxed breath from Phil. "I'd do what I can to get you back on our side, man."

"You really meant what you said last month?" Stephen asked with his hands on his hips wearily. "About being in my shoes."

"For the first time in my entire life… yeah, I wanted to be you. But I just wanted to be with someone. To have the love of _my_ life with me, not the love of yours. Without a shadow of a doubt, my heart clearly belongs to a little woman in size six Converse All-stars," Phil admitted. "And AJ's right. Kaitlyn _is_ heartbroken. She really wanted to fix things, and you haven't exactly been opening to doing the same."

"I know." Stephen took the water as he sat down, trying to regain some strength. Phil could see the bags under his eyes and the lack of energy on him as well. Kaitlyn wasn't the only one losing it over the separation.

"Why are you flirting with other women when clearly you're not over Kait?" he asked him.

"I'm not interested in anyone else but Kaitlyn. But now… ah, shit!" Stephen kicked his bag across the room in, huffing with his hands in his hair. "I should have let it go. AJ was right this is all my doing."

"Then prove how much you really want to work it out." Phil urged. "Tell her everything you feel or felt. You just showed everyone how much you care about her, and how pissed you were with me. The next step is to talk to her. Trust me, whether you guys work out or not, it will help."

"I have to. I should have done it days ago," The Celtic Warrior said as he rubbed his head with a huff. "I just scared, lad. I don't want to have the talk and then have it end. All of it."

"Giving up on these women isn't an opinion. Don't believe that. She'll take you back," Phil assured him.

Stephen snorted before standing up extending his hand with a shorter grin as Phil eyed him cautiously. "What's that old saying of yours, fella? _'Doubt fucks everything'_?"

Phil couldn't help but laugh. "Damn right it does. So don't think what if, just do it." This was the Sheamo he called a cool guy from the day he met. This was his beer loving, understanding, gently loving pale Ginger Irishman he respected wholeheartedly. He shook his hand and pulled him into a hug, patting his back with a smile as they chuckled.

"So, we're good, right?"

"Yeah, we're good. As long as you don't piss on my boots or kiss my girl again, we're good," Stephen laughed heartily as Phil chuckled along. He couldn't help but smile. This bro-mance was officially repaired. Now it was the romance that needed fixing.

* * *

Kaitlyn couldn't believe her night. She never thought she'd experience something like that during a match. The doctor told her she had an anxiety attack, but she knows what was really going on.

It had been seven weeks. Past a month since Stephen stopped talking to her. He promised to talk to her about their tattered relationship, how to work this out and how to move on. And yet, her texts and phone calls went ignored, and she wasn't able to see him unless it was on TV. It even got to the point where he would leave as she entered the room… on purpose.

She may not have had a right to be upset, but she definitely didn't like to extend the olive branch of forgiveness to him, only to be shut down and ignored. Clearly, it was hurting her. It was also confusing her. Did he even what to work things out? Maybe he was rejecting her because he was too hurt to try again. She's was hoping to be wrong, and that Stephen was not that kind of guy.

But before her match, as she sat in catering talking with Eve, AJ and Layla about what would go down, they all saw something that took them a back. Stephen walked in with Aksana, talking, laughing and possibly flirting with her. It looked like flirting from the way he rubbed arms with her with a smile. Stephen was not clueless. He knew exactly when to be friendly, and when to be flirty. He had rubbed Kaitlyn's arm the same way when he kept asking her out, and grinned her way that very same smile of his until she said yes.

Kaitlyn fought back tears as her day went on, trying focus on her match, but she couldn't. Every time someone asked her if she was alright, she wanted to scream out no. She hardly ate, she was cranky and sad all the time, and she hardly slept anymore. Every time she saw him, her heart jumped and skipped a beat. And whenever he left without saying a word, it felt like a dagger was being plunged her chest, piercing her heart and making her head and body ache painfully.

Simply put, Kaitlyn was heartbroken. She also thought of people who say they felt like dying whenever they lost someone, categorizing those type of people as crazy. Now, after feeling it for herself, she officially knew that feeling, and that it was very real.

"We can stay in, you know?" AJ reasoned as she tugged on her new A-initialed black and white varsity baseball jacket, a gift Kaitlyn gave her that coordinated her own K initialed red and white one. She was fully dressed for her night out, but still wanted to accommodate her friend's needs.

Kaitlyn shook her head, wrapping her robe around her snuggly as she kept digging in her bag for the outfit. "The doctor said I should move about so if I dance around to the cover band music, I might feel better," she teased with a sad smile.

"Seriously, we can just have a movie night in here. Phil will understand."

"No, AJ, it's your birthday. We are going to chill out with the locals for you. Don't worry," Kaitlyn said as she reached for AJ, shaking her gently with a smile. "I'm fine. I know I scared you all tonight, but I'm tough. I just needed to relax and after today, so I'm not going to be worried about… _him_. I just need to accept that I lost out on my shot with him."

"I don't think you have. I mean, I kind of had to light a fire under his ass to get his attention. But I hope you guys work it out. You were great with him," AJ expressed solemnly.

"I heard you chewed him out earlier. I appreciate the defense," she snickered out. AJ nodded her head in shame as Kaitlyn sat on the bed. "Thanks but, I'll just have to move on if he's moving on," she said.

As she dug through her bag for her something else, she remembered her jewelry box sitting at home. "Shit, I have no earrings."

"I'll just ask Layla for an extra set. I need to tell them we're almost ready anyway," AJ stated. Kaitlyn nodded as AJ tugged on her Converses before she left.

As Kaitlyn finished up her makeup, she kept thinking to herself about her words. She should move on, but with the way that Stephen had been blowing her off affected her. _He_ was the reason why she felt so crummy lately. AJ told him that, but he needed to hear it from her personally. He needed to know how upset she was, and how wrong he was for making her wait for nothing.

With a spiteful and bitter thought, she tugged on her jeans, her varsity jacket and her boots, making sure her shirt was tied tightly. She smiled at her attributes in the mirror, spraying on a scent she knew drove Sheamus insane once inhaled. Her chest stretched the wording in her Thor themed shirt as she pressed her gloss across her lips.

If she was going to tell him off, she needed to make sure he saw what he was losing.

This could go good...or very good. We'll see what happens next chapter loves.


	29. The Make-Up Pt 3

This chapter is so fluffy, cotton candy will taste like peanut butter to you. Just saying :) I don't the characters but when I borrow them, I do what I want.

* * *

Kaitlyn left the room in a hurry and headed around the corner, texting AJ to let her know where she was on her way to. She remembered seeing Wade entering one room not too far from there's when they arrived in town. She knocked on it couple of times and once it opened, she came face to face with the last person she needed to see.

"Hey fitness babe," were the words that came out of the mouth of the very brash and cocky Dolph Ziggler, who instantly flashed Kaitlyn that seductive smile of his that had wooed her in the past, flexing as his arms folded across his chest while he leaned against the door frame. "You looking for me?"

"No," she said immediately. "I'm looking for Stephen. Do you know what room he's in?"

"You're two doors off. He's in 434." As she turned to leave, the touch of Dolph's hands on her arm halted her. "You look pretty good for someone who had a panic attack."

"I just needed to cool off. And I want to have a chat with him before I head out, so please, if you don't mind, get off me," she sneered while yanking from his grasp.

"Oh, Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn. Why can't you see what we all see?" She frowned at his question. "See what?" Dolph just snorted at the naïve diva in his view. "I thought you were smart enough to realize this: Sheamo's pretty much done with you."

"Is that right?"

"I think so."

"Well, I really don't give a fuck what you think," she snapped with a shrug.

"He nearly beat Punk to death tonight… all because of you. It wasn't a wrestling match, it was a pier six brawl all around the arena. And once they were done, they hugged it out in the locker room. Now, he's going to treat this taunted love triangle crap with you and Punk like a goddamn autobiography." Dolph used his hands to emphasize his statement by clapping one onto his other. "He's closing it shut, and putting into his constructing archive about "Sheamus: The Irish Fella That Conquered WWE".

"That's fine. I want him to," Kaitlyn lied frivolously, not so much to Dolph as it was to herself.

"That doesn't mean he's going to start another one with you in it." Her lips pressed tensely at those last words that Dolph spoke, while he shook his head, snickering deviously. "I mean, AJ still has Punk, yet you're the one still killing yourself emotionally."

"So I should rebound like you do with pornstars and attend Britney Spears concerts to ease the pain?" she snorted at the thought. "I think I'll pass."

"It's better than being known as the new backstage hoeski," he insulted. "And it's also better than looking like a pathetic lovesick puppy that follows her ex-boyfriend all night. He wants nothing to do with you, sweetheart. He's only focused on him again." Those words started to hit her, but he didn't seem to see that and just kept going.

"Kait... you're an awesome girl, and it's disappointing to watch you become so desperate and weak around him. AJ did a good job acting that out with Daniel, but you are really making it look sad in real life."

Before she could snap back at him, she saw a pale white hand land harshly on Dolph's shoulder, causing him to show off his displeasure with a slightly painful frown. She found herself looking right into Sheamus' eyes as he smiled.

"Ya know, if you want to talk for me Dolphin, all you have to do is buy me a pint and ask." He then leaned in closer as Dolph turned around glaring at him as that smile soon fell from his face. "But since you didn't, I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself, and keep your hands off my girl. She's had a rough night, so back off. Ya understand me, pretty boy?" he snared.

Kaitlyn felt the weights on her shoulders lift once he said that. My girl. He could either be defending her away from Dolph or defending her as his girlfriend still. Dolph just nodded grudgingly, and turned to Kaitlyn with a tight frown. "My bad, Kaitlyn. I was out of line." He apologized, then re-entered his room without looking back, leaving the two alone in the half empty halls.

"I guess we have some talking to do," he said after a brief pause, reaching for his key as she folded her arms defensively.

"Oh, I see. Now you're ready to talk?" she spat tensely.

Stephen nodded. "Only if that's what you came here to do. If you came to slap me and tell me off, I'll take that also."

She took a deep breath as he opened his door, signaling an invitation. "Wade had to leave early, so I have the room all to myself. I'd rather work this out in private, anyway." This was the first time Stephen looked at her since that night in AJ's house. It had been awhile since she looked into those cerulean eyes of his, or heard him speak to her this way without a glare or a pout.

All the anger she felt towards him remained hot once she entered the room, sighing and hoping that this talk would kill the curiosity that was still hurting her heart.

* * *

"Wow, I hope security doesn't call up," Colt said as Amy and Kofi kept their ears to the wall. They heard a lot of yelling and shouting as they all waited for everyone else to meet them. Colt remembered Wade and Sheamus having the room next to his and the female voice that was being heard was unmistakably Kaitlyn's. The yelling worried them. She just had one panic attack, and she didn't need another.

Colt answered the knock at the door and blinked, watching AJ fly right past him towards the wall with the Eve and Layla. "Come on in, AJ. Oh…" Colt looked at himself and pointed to his shirt with a playful frown. "Thanks, you look great also."

"You sent her a text saying that Kaitlyn left and is talking to Stephen. She's been texting her back with no answers so far," John said as he entered the room with Phil.

"She shouldn't have gone over there," AJ said.

"Maybe he asked her to come by and talk." Phil reasoned.

"Yeah, and maybe Paul Heyman will take over WWE G.I. Joe-Cobra style when Vince is dead," she sniped sarcastically, pulling her hair back to listen. "Ugh, he's shouting at her."

"No, that's Kaitlyn," Eve said as she frowned, trying to decode the muffles. "Oh… yeah, she just told him that Aksana's the worst rebound on the roster."

"How the hell can you hear anything?" Phil asked.

"I have ears like Superman."

"The strength part of that comparison isn't too far behind either," John muttered, feeling the backend of the phonebook hit him in the back of his head seconds later.

"Okay, now let's see. I hear…" Eve frowned as all the yelling and shouting stopped. That caused the girls and guys to worry as everyone leaned into that wall, trying to listen in also.

"Nothing happening," Phil pointed out as he took a glass to get a better sound. After trying to figure it out, he pulled away and frowned. "Maybe she left."

"A door would have slammed or something," Colt reasoned.

"I hope so. I hope they fix their issues," Layla said with worry in her voice.

"They've been yelling for over half an hour. I hope they fixed something and didn't break everything." Kofi said.

A loud bang made startled everyone in the room. They looked towards the wall as Eve and Phil leaned into it again. "What's happening?" AJ asked frantically.

"I'm about to call-"

"Shh. Hold on a sec. Oh, that's…" Phil started to chuckle as Eve covered her open smile, frowning at what she was hearing. "Trust me babe, we don't need to."

"Why?" John asked.

Seconds passed by before another loud thump happened again. Only it was lighter, and it was continuous. Then out of nowhere, loud, rapturous and constant moans muffled beyond the walls, but it could be heard with that thump. Clearly, a bed was hitting the wall and Kaitlyn was screaming with pleasure, not in anger.

"Oh… my... God. That is loud," AJ giggled out as she moved away, laughing with Eve and Amy silently as everyone just frowned. Most times, they would be grossed out at the level of sex noises coming from a hotel room next them. This time, they made an exception and just laughed about it. Kaitlyn's moans got louder and that caused the girls to frown in disgust a little.

"Whoa, now!" exclaimed Layla.

"Yeah, that's a sign that we have nothing to worry about." Amy tittered out as they kept listening.

"How can he do that after having two matches tonight?" AJ asked in confusion, smiling at her boyfriend as he nodded.

"Baby, if you want it bad enough, you'll use all the energy you have. Trust me." He said while snickering. "So… I guess Kaitlyn's not coming with until later on," John guessed as they all agreed. "We should probably go, then."

"Agreed. I'm getting jealous at the amount of love in this room," Layla said as she headed for the door.

Phil and AJ intertwined their hands together before leaving the wall. But for light fun, Phil and Colt ran back over and pounded their fist along the wall with a devious smile, causing the group to burst out in laughter as Phil shouted, "Way to go Sheamo!"

"You be sure to fuck that girl real nice and tight, boy!" Colt spat out in a sudden country twang.

"Come on, you two! Let's go!" Amy shouted as AJ pulled Phil's hand away to leave, cuddling close to him as the group laughed all the way down the halls. "Are you happy now, birthday girl? You gave Stephen enough doses of reality. Now that he's cured, your bestie's going to be in there with him getting treated," Amy said with a smile.

"And from what we heard, I think they're going to be _up_..._all_... _night_!" John added, imitating Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels as they enter the elevator.

AJ snorted with a nod. "As long as all gets back to normal, I'm still having an awesome birthday."

* * *

"So... I'm your girl?" Kaitlyn muttered out, feeling Stephen's heart beat against her ears as they cuddled in bed together. The layer of sweat and the tangled sheets they laid in surrounded them, along with the feeling of bliss, relief and rapture in the air. Stephen didn't think this would happen, but he'd be lying through his Irish teeth if he said he didn't pray for it.

The minute Kaitlyn walked into his room, he couldn't resist her. She looked so fucking attractive when her anger showed. They started talking about everything, but they were yelling at one another, which created this new burning tension that easily winded him up and turned him on. He watched her full lips pout and he could see this fiery passion erupt from her as she yelled at him. He did say some things that caused her to get upset, but her defensive, feisty nature is one feature he just couldn't get enough of.

So instead of continuing an argument about an issue they both wanted to get past, he just decided to take all his pent up feelings and show her why she should not want to kiss touch, hug or long for any other man's (especially Mr. Wiggle Ziggle next door) attention or affection but his.

"Yeah, Kaitie. You're my girl," he said as he shuffled away, inching his body down to come face to face with her. He smiled as he stared into her crimson eyes, watching her smile grow as he pulled some of her locks from her face. He missed seeing her, and he wanted to see her like this more often. He feels bad for trying to forget about her, and he wasn't going to make that mistake again.

"It's not going to be easy, ya know? I have to learn how to trust you again. You have to learn that I'm here for you, and that I'll always be here for you," he voiced.

"I know. I shouldn't have lied to you and it should have never happened to begin with," she admitted. "I just didn't want to cry all the time to you."

"That's what I'm here for. Knowing how you're feeling and what you're thinking is important to me because I…" he stopped, then chuckled to himself while grabbing her hand. She could feel his heart beating rapidly once her hand rested on his chest. "You're the only woman that can make this happen. You know why."

Kaitlyn laughed bitterly as a lone shy tear trickled down, nodding eagerly while looking at him. "I hate looking weak around people, especially you."

"It shows me how emotional you are. I don't mind it. I just want to be the one that prevent those tears from coming," he stated, smiling as she nodded lightly.

"OK, then. So from here on out, no more lies, no more bullshit or buried emotions," she promised with her hand still on his chest, circling her fingers along his pale clear skin.

"And I will do everything I can to help you when you need me. I know you don't think I understand you, but I do. We have to work together." Stephen expressed as Stephen looked at his clock. "Don't you have a party to get to?"

"Did you not just hear what Mr. 'Best in the World' said?" she frowned as she begins to feel her urges for him return. "We need to finish 'discussing' things."

"I'm up for that," he answered while bobbing his head, then kissed her passionately and rolled her on her back to climb on top. As he continued to arouse her, he thought about how right Phil and April were. He should have gotten over this issue so long ago and told her how he really felt about her, and about how she made him feel.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips, causing her to inhale deeply and lock eyes with him. "You're mine, álainn. _Mine_," he expressed a deep growl as she nodded comprehensively. He knew she understood what this meant for them. They were one again, and nothing was keeping them apart anymore.

"I love you too, Stephen," she said back faintly, enjoying the feeling of him connecting her body with his. She just wanted to know if he still had feelings for her. Hearing him claim her after all this time finally put her mind at ease.

* * *

Punk couldn't stop looking at her all night.

The bright smile on her face made him feel good. He stood next to her as the invited WWE roster, from rookies to veterans who all talked to AJ, sang _"Happy Birthday" _along with him, eyeing a cake Layla brought to the table. AJ just kept blushing and her eyes lit up with joy. A loud hooted cheer from everyone erupted in the small tavern after she blew out her candles.

"I think I've had enough cake for the day," AJ admitted.

"You can never have enough cake on your birthday," John objected as Layla and Eve nodded with him.

"Well, I bet you received enough love on your birthday. Ain't that right, _Punky Bear_?" Chris Jericho teased, causing AJ to awe with the group at Punk's timid smile.

"Normally, I'd kick your fucking ass for putting me on the spot like that Chris, but…" Phil sighed before looking at AJ. He pulled her closer by her waist, inching his face closer as she bit her lip with a smirk. "I think I'll just give you more love."

"Oh, I have no doubt in my mind that you won't," she said, pressing her lips against his as the group cheered on again.

"Aww, you two are so cute! _¡Ustedes están enamorados!_" Rosa moaned in delight from her seat with Alicia, Primo and Epico, causing AJ to blush away.

"Translation, please?" Phil muttered.

"You guys are in love," AJ decoded to him with a dreamy tone as he laughed, nodding before pressing a kiss into her forehead.

Colt downed his drink as he stood up. "Okay, I'm ready." He said, pointing to the stage with a huge smile.

"Already?" Amy asked with an amused eyebrow. "You just have to the one to crash everything, don't you?"

"I see a stage, an open mic, and a band playing everything. It's go time, Ames," he said before winking her way. "You know you want to go up there." He leaned over, smiling as Amy leaned in with a frown playfully.

"And why should I sing, Cabana?" she asked. "Are you that obsessed with hearing me shouting?"

"You sounded pretty good singing Lita Ford this morning. Unless you were just showing off for little ole' me." He teased, watching her scoff before throwing a French fry his way.

Before Punk could question the level of innuendo between them, AJ spoke up. "None of us are really going up there," she objected, but then the band called two people to the stage, causing his face to frown in amusement.

"You're too late. Eve and Layla had a song they really wanted us to sing bro!" Zack said as he patted John's shoulder. The Cenation leader followed him to the stage, kissing his finger and pointed to Eve as she cheered with Layla and the other divas. He looked terrified, yet excited once the mic fell into his hands and his eyes landed on her.

Everyone noticed the close interaction between Eve and John, but no one bothered him about it. He's been through enough drama himself, so seeing him dance around playfully and rap his part in 'Fight for you Right' by the Beastie Boys with the seven figure broski by his side, having everyone in the little bar sing the main chorus with them, was acceptable to them. They were friends, and if Eve was bringing him back to his fun, joyous self, they didn't mind it.

"Look who's joining the party!" Kofi yelled as Stephen walked over, dressed in his style and with Kaitlyn holding onto his arm.

"How did it feel to make the neighbors jealous?" Phil teased as he tugged Stephen's shoulder.

"Shut up, we weren't that…" Kaitlyn tried to lie, but then noticed the disbelief in everyone's eyes. She just had the most amazing angry/make-up sex session in her life. Who cares who she woke up? She's back in love and happy again. She looked towards Stephen before shrugging. "Should I even explain myself?"

"Nah, lass. Let them use their imagination," The Great White stated with a huge smile.

"Okay, again, It's go time. Who's next?" Colt asked, looking around the group as Zack and John rejoined them, seeing no volunteers. "Anyone? C'mon, I'll fucking put names in a hat if I have too."

"We can't all sing worth jackshit!" Phil shouted.

"I see two people here that have been in a band, so you shut the fuck up," Colt said to Phil, indicating Chris and Amy's ventures outside the ring.

"I've been to a Fozzy concert. Amy, I've never heard you sing live," AJ pouted playfully, having Kaitlyn and Punk agree with her. "Please… _please_?" she moaned as Amy groaned.

"It has been requested by the birthday Princess that Ms. Dumas must approach the mic immediately," Colt announced loudly, slamming his hand on the table as everyone started cheering for Amy to get a move on it. After sipping her soda, she arose with a smile and a nod.

"Alright, alright. Sheesh."

They cheered as she jogged to the stage, leaning over to the band before turning around and pointing to her group.

"I hope we're being rowdy enough for you all tonight," She joked. "Okay so, tonight, the strongest girl I know is turning 26, so I want to sing this song because, the lead singer loves Chucks as much as she does." Everyone laughed with Amy as AJ cheered for herself, leaning into Phil's arms and chest for comfort.

"And because the words in this song describe the relationship she has with someone very… determined, supportive, and uplifting. Someone who won't let her give up or get down on herself. So, I hope you love Paramore. If you don't, you're taste in music needs a change. Here's to you, kid." Amy surmised.

She waited for the band to start and bobbed herself around to get a feel. Phil has always been a fan of Amy's voice, so to hear her sing another song he and AJ both loved listening to made his night even better. AJ clapped happily as she noticed the song, bobbing her head as Amy started to sing.

_Somehow everything's gonna fall right into place_

_If we only had a way to make it all fall faster everyday_

_If only time flew like a dove_

_Well God, make it fly faster than I'm falling in love_

Phil twisted his head to look at AJ, who was already leaning up to lock eyes with him before Amy shouted out the chorus. This was kind of their song. One that explained the promise they made after getting back together for the second and final time. So without any shame in his facial expression, he mouthed the chorus with AJ.

_This time we're not giving up_

_Let's make it last forever_

_Screaming "hallelujah"_

_We'll make it last forever_

He just observed his surroundings with a smile. AJ in his arms, Kaitlyn and Stephen in a loving embrace, Kofi and Colt cheering with everyone else as Amy belted out the song with passion in her fiery voice. This was a great vibe to feel and a wonderful sight to see.

_Holding onto patience wearing thin_

_I can't force these eyes to see the end_

_If only time flew like a dove_

_We could watch it fly and just keep looking up_

His friends and everyone in the party enjoyed themselves, but importantly, AJ was exultant. His April was happy. That alone made him excited about his life on the road as CM Punk the professional wrestler, and as Phillip Jack Brooks the man.

"Thank you," he whispered as April pressed onto him again.

"For?"

"Just for loving and opening up to a jerk like me," he simply stated. She blushed as he turned her around, smiling with her while she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you for everything. And you're my lovable jerk now," she corrected. He accepted it with a soft kiss and a smile.

_This time we're not giving up_

_Oh, let's make it last forever_

_Screaming "hallelujah" (hallelujah)_

_Hallelujah_

She had come from such a long way and everyone was here not only to celebrate her age, but her growth and maturation into a stronger being, to a stronger person.

And to Phil, most importantly, she was still that young, beautiful, and unique brand of natural dynamite that he watched on NXT. Now, she was _his_ natural dynamite. Finally, he had what he needed in his life all along.

Next Chapter: Wrestlemania 29. Nuff said.

I want to once again thank all of my readers, reviews and supports. ChaosTheory, Raiden519, Red Foxie, Maizeandbluekid, DoubleDee068, Jean-theGuardian, Trisskins, SamCF, xFullofLaughterx: I appreciate you all soooo much for helping me and moviating me with you opinions and words of creativity.

Oh and ConchaaRex, you hinted my secret pairing from a mile away. So Thank you for that.

The song used: Hallelujah belongs to Paramore. But I'm obsessed with the music, the band and Hayley awesome fire hair.

#I'mgoingtowrestlemania

9 days until Wrestlemania!

#PunkleeNation

#ReadandReview


	30. You Can and Will Be the Greatest

I ate way too many candy Peeps (They are evil but so good to eat!). But despite the massive stomach ache I have, I do believe I own you guys a chapter. So this chapter has alot of cuteness for Punklee. You might puke rainbows after. Just saying.

Nothing's mine. but Enjoy!

* * *

After a long, taxing day that was full of interviews and media appearances hyping and promoting the extravagant event known as WrestleMania that was set for Sunday, Phil returned to his W Hotel suite in Times Square, only to be greeted with tons of shopping bags and garment items at the door. All the pink, white and black bags had famous labels and looked packed with jewelry, clothing and other things girly. He snickered quietly as he dropped his items on the couch in the living room.

"Sorry about all of that!" He looked down the small hall of his suite, to see Amy jog over in her sweat suit and sneakers, quickly picking all the shopping bags off the floor with a frenetic pace. "Her sister came with all of this stuff and I have nowhere to put it," Amy rambled as she dropped it all on the couch.

"What's all this?"

"My outfit, AJ's outfit… AJ's 'opinions'." She raised an eyebrow as he laughed. "She left to meet up with Lena and her 'B-Team'?"

"Oh, Lena is a hair and makeup stylist. And her job offers on site hair and grooming. They must have hired her," Phil explained. "I guess this is a big deal for them."

"Rose says it's a _huge_ deal," she corrected, waving her hands as she welcomed 3 new members into the room. The panting of the freshly groomed dogs greeted him as he closed the door, causing him to pull out a bag of treats for the other special people in his new life.

"Sup, Kenz. Hey Pamela. Nacho!" he called off while patting the couch, watching them all jump into the seat with him next to the window of his huge W Hotel suite. "Where's AJ?" he asked.

"Napping. She said to wake her up in an hour. And I have an introduction to finish so call me when the Glam pixies get here," she answered, patting his back as she picked up her bags.

"Hey, Amy, you hungry?"

"Yeah. Colt just got back from his show. He's in the shower but he's starved, too."

Phil frowned as she ran back to her room. "Wait. Who's shower?"

"The one that come with every hotel room, duh!" The door slammed as he snorted. Phil picked up the hotel phone and as he placed orders for food and refreshments, he stared out into Times Square, watching it start to shine vividly and operate thrillingly on a Saturday evening.

Next to Chicago, New York City had to be another good city. He liked the tough and honest attitude of the people and the melting-pot variety of places to visit, along with the non-stop activity span of things to do 24/7. With WrestleMania 29 being just over 24 hours away, he took full advantage of the cities interesting sights, after promoting the event and working massive PR schedules upon arrival. With the busy week they had, the fun Axxess week behind them and the Hall of Fame being tonight, he decided to finally treat his favorite gal to a good day and night before they worked the event.

He slowly got up and walked through the massive suite to his bedroom. Opening the door and looking in, he couldn't help but smile. The sight of April curled in bed, sleeping quietly in a comfy plush robe and with a comic book open next to her, was beautiful to him. She had been sleeping better on her own lately, which was a huge step in improvement for her.

Usually, Phil felt normal within walking distance when she was sleeping, so to walk in and have to wake her up this time excited him a little. He made sure that he wasn't too haste or heavy in his movements, so that he wouldn't immediately jar her out of sleep.

"Apple Jacks," he whispered, causing AJ to open her eyes softly. She moved a little to face him, then flashed him with that beautiful smile of hers as he climbed into bed with her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmm-hmm," she moaned before yawning. "I really needed it. Today was so hectic. I missed seeing you," she said softly. Her hand covered his as he rested it on his chest. He shifted to his back and looked up. "Sorry if you tripped over half the mall in the living room," she referenced to the bags up front.

He snickered. "It's fine. I can't wait to see you in your dress tonight."

"If Rose had her way, I'd have a giant tiara, a wand, and a huge, puffy, sparkly dress," she teased. "Finding a dress was a nightmare, but this one I love. It's new and different for me. I can't wait to wear it."

"Really? Are you giving away all those other outfits as gifts?"

"Some are. The others I have to wear. All of it." she muttered. "We brought what I needed for tonight, new custom chucks for Sunday and a lot of punk style stuff for my gimmick."

"You excited about tomorrow?" Phil asked as AJ nodded, and the huge smile that caused her dimples to deepen made him grin also. "What am I kidding? Of course you are," he snickered out while hugging her.

For the last month, the rivalry between AJ and Eve as a Road to WrestleMania focus for the Divas turned the division upside down and made it right. Their feud caused a huge debate among the fans, the critics, even other female wrestlers in the sport about what a woman really needs to be the best.

Some sided with Eve, saying that all Divas, like the ones of the past, should be tall, sexy, powerful and beautiful to succeed. She gained support from the likes of Vickie and Tamina, who agreed to be in her corner for the match. However, AJ represented the so called average girls with great ambition, skills, talent and personality, not just beauty, causing a lot of those fans to stand by her and fight the stereotype.

Kaitlyn and Layla played the equalizers whenever AJ needed help, promising to have her back as well.

It wasn't like watching Trish and Lita go at it and nothing like the Divas of Doom taking over a couple of years back. It was something different, fresh, new, unique, and exciting. Some praised it to be the best feud since those days, as they witnessed and liked how Eve attacked AJ on her lack of "features" and her weird personality as she proved to be who the dominant Diva was. On the flip side, they also enjoyed AJ's determination to prove her critics' wrong, her crazy antics and ways to sabotage to Eve's life every week, showed how unpredictable she was along the way.

On the final RAW before WrestleMania, Lita showed up to add a shock factor as Booker T appointed her as a Special Enforcer for the Championship bout, and even soon-to-be-Hall-of-Famer Trish appeared to both women in a segment to not only promote her upcoming special night in MSG, but also offering her advice on how to handle the match and praising both Divas for doing great as performers.

Phil was proud of both of them. They went passed creativity's lack of idealism and worked hard based on the chemistry they had together, making it their own. Eve and AJ, as always, knocked the opportunities given to them out the park, and to see it grow this big made him very excited about a match that was other than his.

"I can't wait. I just wish Hunter would tell me what's going on. He said Eve was in a meeting with him and he would let me know what was going on," he pouted as he sat with AJ. "She's probably in contract talks. Her deal expires after Monday so she might just renew it," she guessed. Phil then locked eyes with her, and vice versa.

"So, how was your session? Did you and Brock talk?" she asked.

He sighed deeply as she curled right into his arms, taking the chance to inhale the strawberry scent she wore to relax. "Yeah, it went well. Brock doesn't care about winning or losing, but more about us displaying our skills in this type of street fight rules match. They're booking me to win, and if I'm okay, I can walk out. Then after Raw, I'll do walk out after a promo, Brock and I will kayfabe my injury so I can have the surgery that week."

"What did the doctors say?"

"I should be fine. Nothing's going to happen as long as we avoid really heavy bumps during the match. And I'll have this taken care of as soon as it's over," Phil explained. AJ smiled as he kissed her forehead and shook her lightly to calm her nerves.

Every time Punk interacted his scenes with Brock on RAW or Smackdown, it would worry her. Brock was scary in her eyes, and no matter how many times Phil promised the man was just all business and less play when it came to WWE, she still couldn't bring herself to even look his way. The feedback on the feud was amazing and excited everyone. He knew she supported his decision to fight this battle, but that didn't she had to be happy about it.

"Everything is going to be fine, Ape," He promised.

"I know you'll be okay. It's just… having you injured or off the road isn't something I want to think about," she responded. "I want to be by your side the whole way through, baby."

"I know you will," he assured. He caught eyes of the time and smiled, pulling up to hover over her a little. "Alright, we have to get ready. I ordered something for everyone to chow on. Its 4:30 already, and your family's on the way. Kofi and I rented a Sprinter that'll fit everyone so it's picking up your mom, dad and my sisters first, then the crew, then us." She nodded as he kissed her hand gently. "We'll tour the city and go out after the show."

"Okay. Oh, by the way…" He stopped as she spoke up. "Thanks for the wonderful flowers… and the breakfast you ordered."

He looked at the tall green and white Gladiolus bouquet on her night stand with a bigger smile as he leaned closer to her. "Oh yeah. I forgot I did that." She shook her head briefly chuckling at him. "Did you google the meaning?" he asked.

"Yep. They represent strength of character," she responded as he nodded. "Thank you so much."

"No problem, babe. Any time." He kissed her again before heading to the bathroom to wash up and prepare for the night.

One sweet gesture down, and one more to go.

* * *

"Everyone outside looks like a couple of parents before the high school prom. Why?" AJ asked, stepping into her heels carefully as Lena played with her unraveled curls, making them wavy and voluminous before she applied a black beamed scalloped headband over her head, laying her hair around her it all to the side.

One girl kept applying finishing touches on her makeup as she stood up.

"Mama and Papi didn't see you go to Prom and everyone is excited about this whole weekend. So we are going to model you off and get you and you boyfriend to take cute photos," Rose addressed as she kept taking photos, causing AJ to snort at the last part of that statement.

"And he's doing an awesome job, by the way," Robert interjected as he entered the room, dressed in his formal army uniform. He looked in the mirror with AJ as she helped fix his hat and tie. "Oh, and Papa and Mama totally approve of Phil. Dad's words that were used to describe him was something along the lines of 'vertical, hombre respetuoso, encantador y único. No es más que lo que mi hija necesita.' And that this was nice, but that he doesn't have to kiss ass anymore," he said, causing everyone to laugh at him.

"He called him an upright, respectful, charming and unique man?" AJ translated, causing Phil to laugh from his spot in the bathroom. "Did you hear that, Punky Bear? Daddy basically wants to talk about cars, soccer, food and baseball with you."

"Mom also said that you are just what AJ needed." Robert finished.

"So I won them over without really trying. Sweet." Phil sarcastically quipped while he peaked out of the bathroom, looking around with a cheesy smile for everyone. "I love it when they like me. And they really, really like me," he said while winking at Rose, causing her to snicker.

"Okay. All done," Lena said as she and the other stylist stepped away, causing Rose to gasp as they did the same. Even Robert eyed his baby sister with nothing but a positive, pleased smile on his face.

"What's the scoop, Glam-Fairies?" Phil teased Lena as he exited the bathroom, dressed in an all black suit, shirt and a red tie. He kept fixing the black watch on his hand as he entered the room. "She's ready!" Lena chimed as Phil just stopped in shock, studying April as she turned to face him.

Her silk organza dress skirted out perfectly hugged her perfectly and stopped right at her knees, displaying a bright multicolored floral print that complimented her sun-kissed skin. Her accessories matched the dominant colors in the dress; pink rock ear studs, a blue and gold hand clutch, a gold heart bangle on one hand a pink and purple glass drop bracelet on the other. And of course, his lightning bolt necklace hung freely from her neck.

Her long hair remained wavy as the curls flowed over her shoulders, and her makeup was very light, having light pink eyeshadow, and pink glossy lips blend well with her neutral tan complexion. She had been in dresses and makeup before, but this time, she made a complete change in taste. Just like New Year's Eve, she looked and felt absolutely stunning.

AJ made her way over to Phil from her side of the room, walking in her heels confidently, hardly wobbling in them as he kept looking. Yet, not a word left his lips. She shrugged as she slowly turned around to model her look, still nothing. Then, Phil pulled her by the hand and the grin on his lips grew _very _seductive. As he eyed her one more time, she locked eyes with him as he broke the silence.

"You look… I can't even describe how you are making me feel right now."

"Speechless, are we?' she teased, causing him to snort. "Guess that means I'm beautiful again." She said.

"You are simply beautiful." he corrected, making her flutter her eyes shyly as he kissed her cheek. "You just look wonderful tonight," he whispered making her smile again.

"You two are sooo cute!" Rose moaned as she snapped another photo. AJ groaned with Phil as she fixed them properly next to one another. "Now... look romantic again," she demanded, getting the camera ready.

"I'm starting to see why you skipped your proms," Phil moaned into AJ's ear, causing her to giggle again.

"Rose, you want an awkward one because I'm good at it?" he asked as Rose scoffed out her laugh. Everyone enjoyed them posing, some were fun and flirty from them, others were corny as Phil gave them an overly cheesy smile and AJ grinned awkwardly for another photo.

"Okay, we have to go soon. Rose, stop it and go get dressed!" Robert said as he shut it down. "We'll give you guys a moment." He directed everyone outside as AJ just thanks everyone for helping out, then turning her attention to her man to study him.

"You're looking very dapper as well. I love it when you wear black. It sets you apart from everyone else," she admitted.

"Well, that's because I _am_ different from everyone else."

"I love that about you," she said. "I love everything about you Phil."

"Same here. Oh, and I love everything about you too." He stretched in, causing her to giggle with him. "Let's razzle and dazzle them together," he flirted, squeezing her hand as they left the bedroom together.

* * *

As the limousine pulled up to the World's Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, the rain lightly poured in New York City and the other wrestlers began to arrive in style. As the group slowly emerged from the car, AJ followed her brother, Punk, Amy, and Colt with a bright smile as her co-workers and friends gasped at the transformation with amazement.

"AJ, darling! You look so beautiful," Layla exclaimed radiantly as she joined the group with Kaitlyn and Stephen, causing AJ to bow giddily. Soon, Daniel and Brie approached her with pleased eyes and complements to her outfit. "This is look is perfect for you. I didn't recognize you entering," Eve said as she came close to her, hugging AJ as they all filled a backstage seating lounge. John agreed as he and Nikki Bella joined them smiling and greeting everyone positively.

"And you're walking in heels!" Brie praised.

"Well, I had tons of practice," she admitted while nudging Layla and Kaitlyn. "And all of you girls look beautiful in your own gowns, so I guess we all win."

"No way, kid. You are the best dressed for the night by far," John praised as she blushed.

"Agreed. You look simply wonderful," Amy praised as she eyed the dress more. "But… something not right about it, at least not yet."

That cause AJ's smile to fall nervously as she shrugged. "You guys said it was perfect in the store…" Phil was never an advocate for abusing women, but at that moment, he felt the desire to punch his best friend right in the face when she said that.

"_Almost_ perfect," Kaitlyn cut off as she took a black box from Stephen's hands, turning back to her best friend with a smile. "We think it's just missing something."

AJ frowned as Kaitlyn opened the box, catching the smile on Phil's face as she revealed a gold bracelet, but what made her laugh was the skull head charm on the front of it. "Kait, where did you find this?" AJ asked.

"Well, after you ditched us on Fifth Ave Wednesday, we all stopped in this vintage store," The two-toned hybrid explained. "I caught my eye on this awesome Stella McCartney hard-to-find and it was so you. You needed something that perfectly represents you. Eve, Layla and Amy texted me, and we all agreed that you should have this so we got it for you. You got us gifts so this is from us girls to you."

"So, this is cute…." Amy picked on the heart bangle she sported, taking if off her wrist as Kaitlyn passed AJ the gift. "But not for tonight. You're wearing this one," She said as AJ slipped it on, smiling as they all hugged her in a warm tight sisterly-like embrace.

"This is pretty kickass. It's just like me," AJ bragged as she eyed the bracelet.

"So is this," Robert said, nodding to Phil as he pulled up another bag, this time it was bigger.

"As much as Mama loved you in heels, it's just not you, Maple. You're a tomboy through and out," he joked, causing AJ to laugh.

"We actually got you something a little more comfortable," Phil said as he opened the shoe box. She guffawed even harder with everyone as he modeled a pair of Converse high tops that shined a snowflake pattern in gold. "So after tonight-or now if you like-you can model these on the streets of NYC. The guys thought you would like it so I picked them up."

"This is _SO_ awesome," she chuckled out as she took them. After nodding and closing the box, she carefully extended her legs and shrugged. "But strange enough, I feel good in these. I'll change after. I'll keep them backstage in the meantime."

"You look so gorgeous, sis. _Te ves maravillosa esta noche_," Robert rambled after kissing her cheek. "Oh, and uh… I say that so you won't hate me for this." AJ frowned as Eve inched closer to him.

"What did you do?" she asked her brother with an annoyed glare.

"We might have… _tweaked _the seating arrangements a tad bit," John admitted as he passed her the chart. She read it with an amused scoff as Phil grinned innocently.

"_Tweaked _is a huge understatement," AJ said before reading off the seating chart for the evening. "OK, let's see here. First row: Randy and his wife, John and Nikki, Eve and Rener Gracie, Robert, me and Phil. Then Colt, Sheamus and Kaitlyn," she read with a frown. "Second row: Daniel and Brie, Kofi and his wife and Mark Henry and his wife," she finished, not understanding what the big hubbub was all about.

"Oh, we're sitting with each other? Fun. I had no idea," Phil moaned nonchalantly as AJ glared slightly. He winked her way as she snickered.

"Girls, we want to take photos of you all for the site," A producer tapped them as they all nodded. "Amy, Layla, we need you backstage afterwards." AJ looked to her brother and Punk with a small smile, but still looking excited as she walked off with the girls.

"So, did you hear about Eve?" Daniel asked as Brie smacked his shoulder, glaring at him not to mention it on John's presence or loudly. Phil and Stephen, didn't understand what was going on, showcasing their confusion in a pair of matching frowns.

"What about Eve?" Phil asked.

They all kept quiet before John spoke up. "She went into contract negotiations last night. But after talking to Hunter, she just… opted to sign a one day extension for Monday night. And _only_ Monday night."

"Extension? Wait… so she's not returning? She's leaving?" Sheamus asked as John nodded, confirming his answer to the irishman.

"She said she's tired and wants to work on her personal life. She and Rener just got back together, fixed things up, and now they are engaged. Plus her self-defense business is growing. She wants to work on that and take a break. So, with that being said, that means…"

* * *

"You're dropping the belt to me?" AJ said incredulously as they waited for Kaitlyn and Layla to finishing taking photos. "Eve… but I thought…"

"I know the plan from the start was for you to have this match. But now, you're going to win. I'm just going to quit the WWE Monday after I lose the rematch, which means you'll be champion even longer. My leave just guarantees your first reign," Eve explained as she smiled at AJ. But the Jersey strong diva didn't look happy about it.

"AJ, what's wrong? Aren't you excited by this?"

"I'm mortified by it," she confessed. "I mean… it's going to be in front of a huge crowd…at home. I was prepared to get screwed or something."

"It's perfect for you," Eve said. "I mean, think about it; when Trish retired, she did it as the champion in her hometown crowd. Shawn Michaels in San Antonio, John's first World Heavyweight title win in Boston, and even Phil's first WWE Championship in Chicago. They worked just as hard as you did and you deserve your own big historic moment."

"Who else knows?" AJ asked in a quiet tone, so as not to let the others her and Eve's conversation. Eve pressed her lips together at the questioned as AJ frowned. "I'm talking to you now. Rener and I talked about it, I told Mike since we're close, and John was with me when I talked to Hunter. They've been trying to get me to stay for weeks, but they understand," Eve said tensely. "The news won't hit the dirtsheet websites until about a few hours before RAW on Monday, and it shouldn't impact your win."

"But… we were having so much fun going at one another… I got to pour self-tan on you…you sprayed loser on my back in red," AJ pouted as Eve nodded happily. "You helped me get people interested in the Divas Division again. You sure you can't stay a little longer? I mean, with everything that's been going on outside the ring, I was hoping to have you in my corner as well."

"And that's not going to change. Not ever. I'm going to be on your side during this case." Eve rubbed her shoulder before sighing.

"But this queen needs to help the new era of a Diva progress. You, AJ, are the leading woman, and the right one, for the job. You deserve this dream come true moment more than anyone. So, tomorrow night, in MetLife Stadium, you are going to give all those haters and doubters a reason to hate you even more."

AJ snorted as Eve visualized the perfect scenario. "And all the proud people that have followed you and supported you on your crazy journey are going to have something to really brag about."

AJ frowned with tears in her eyes as Eve awed, and then pulled her into a tight hug. "You sure I can't keep you in my basement for safe keeping? I feed you as much as I can." AJ sniffled out.

Eve let out a giggle at AJ's adorable plea, while pulling apart just to tie arms with her. "As interesting as that sounds, I'll pass. I have a business in LA and plenty of things I want to do with my life. I'll watch you create evil democracy from the TV," she promised as AJ nodded. "But before I go, let's put on a show for these fans, and when it's all said and done, they'll be talking about this for years to come."

"Great enough. Hope that's enough damn pictures," Kaitlyn sighed, heading back into the arena portion of the building.

"I'm so ready to sit now." Layla huffed as she rejoined the group with Kaitlyn.

"Ah yeah, join the club." AJ modeled her heels, indicating how her feet was starting to ache now as they all started to walk away. AJ eyed Eve with a huge smile as they entered the arena of MSG, ushered to their seats as their friends took a seat as well. As soon as Robert and Phil took their seats next to her, she glared at the huge smiles across their faces.

Phil even looked at Eve, who rolled her eyes with a wicked grin. "Phillip Jack Brooks, you keep your damn lips shut," AJ warned as she pointed to him.

"Full name? Damn, now I'm really proud of how ballsy you've become," he joked, causing Robert to snort with him. "I'll keep my lips closed… but only if you do something for me."

"Oh yeah?" she challenged. "Which is…?"

"Kiss me." He pointed to his lips after he said it as loud as he could. "Right here. You do that for me April Jeanette Mendez and I won't say a word."

"In front of everyone?" AJ asked, surprised that he was willing to be open with their relationship with everyone.

"Yep," he said with a pop of his mouth, leaning over with a smile as she chuckled lightly. After looking around and seeing all her friends and supporters look on, waiting for a move to be made, she carefully pulled him in. As she pressed her lips against his softly, the sounds of cheers from all their friends surrounded them. It felt great to do it, and she actually didn't care about anyone watching or judging them. He was her boyfriend and he sure as hell was nowhere near as shy about his relationship with her, so why should she?

He smiled against her lips as she pulled away slowly. "My lips are sealed now," he promised.

"You lips are mine now," she added as he entwined hands with hers.

"You damn right they are."

* * *

Hope you loved it!

BTW: The Bellas are bitches. Can't believe they actually put in two cents about AJ with the track record they have.

I'm still not excited about Rock v. John. I was more excited about 'Mr. Excitement' Johnny coming back. PEOPLE POWER! Even more excited that AJ was also on Smackdown...and wrestling! Also, does anyone see a Randy heel turn coming? I mean, he's being a bit too nice right?

Anyways: .young, Red Foxie, ConchaaRex, Raiden519, ghunter182003, xLifeFullOfLaughterx, and Maizeandbluekid, thanks for something much love to the last chapter. Can't wait to see what you guys think of the next one!

#officiallysixdaysfromWM29

#Jerseystrong

#punkleenation


	31. It's ShowTime

4 days away guys!

So enjoy this hours before chapter. Don't forget to review after reading!

* * *

Before the sun peaked over the horizon, April and Phil slowly entered the field side seats of MetLife Stadium, looking around the empty section and up towards the first level seats of the magnificent football colosseum. WrestleMania 29, and the fever of it's extravagant nature, had taken over the lot, as well as the entire Tri-State area connecting New York and New Jersey.

In the next few hours, fans would be waiting to enter and fill up the seats to see the Showcase of Immortals take place. The mere image of that brought back pleasant memories for AJ, remembering how she waited nearly 8 hours in line with her father for tickets to WrestleMania XX when she was a young girl. The seats were not the best, but she didn't care. She was there and with her father, and that's all that mattered.

As a pre-show ritual, all the athletes stood to see where they would perform after getting ready for the night ahead. "I can't believe this is it," Eve said as she folded her arms, thinking of how much this night meant for her as Nikki and Brie both pouted, smiling as they wrapped a comforting arm around her.

"I'm really going to miss all of this."

"You're more than welcome to stay, you know," John said as AJ nodded in agreement.

"No, I need to relax. And who's to say that I won't be back? Maybe I will and I'll have a chance to become a four-time champ."

"Well, hey, by then, if Kaitlyn's the champion, the doors are wide open," AJ joked. Kaitlyn scoffed, pulling herself him Sheamus' hold to playfully fake a punch to AJ's chin. "But I agree. This is great and I know I might not have another chance to perform in this kind of element all the time, but at least I have the chance to do it tonight."

"That's right. And with it being in your own backyard, you're going to have one hell of a moment," Punk said as she beamed. AJ inhaled the air slowly; happy the spring gave them a warm, bright day instead of a raining gloomy one. She thought about tonight and what it really meant for her. All those stories about moments and legends being made suddenly seemed to relate to her. She was going to be down there, in her home crowd, making her own moment happen.

But still, even with the fun week at home behind her, a huge knot of AJ's own emotions and nerves tied in her stomach after production told her the new plan. But she felt a soft kiss on her cheek this morning from Phil, urging her that today was hers, and that helped a little. Key word: a little. She only had sweaty hands now, compared to the feeling of vomiting she felt before the car came for her.

"I can't believe how far we've all made it." Daniel said with his hands tucked in with Brie's. "After all the madness that occurred last year, we all ended up becoming a unit."

"I would have never seen us all becoming friends with any of you," Kaitlyn spoke up. "I mean, this isn't Rydell High, but after all the drama you we've been through AJ, The T-Birds and the Pink Ladies can kick rocks," she joked as Stephen pressed a kiss into her head. AJ snickered with Punk at the reference.

"It's a night like this that really proves how far someone has come and how great it feels to reach the end. And it's the end of a really long road," AJ observed.

"But that also means it's only the beginning to a new one," Phil sighed, crossing her arm around his chest as she nodded. "A much better one."

"Hey... you okay?" April asked Phil with a frown. With his match being set in stone for a month, he didn't really dwell on it. He was set to win, but not being the champion to main event WrestleMania like he dreamed off, especially after the historic title reign he had, took a toll on him. He still looked upset and she could see how conflicted he was about it.

"I'm doing fine, babe." Phil held her hand as Amy rubbed his shoulder. "Never thought I'd say this but I… I'm going to miss this crappy place for a little bit," he sighed.

"It'll only be a couple of months. Then you can be back and better as always," AJ said as he hugged her close.

"That's right. You need a break away man, considering the run you've had for the past two years. Relax your skinny fat ass on a couch for once," Kofi teased, making them all laugh.

"We are all proud see how far you've come, even without the title. I'm proud of you," AJ said, kissing his cheek and making him smile. Hearing it from her did make Phil feel better. It made him eager to get better so he could get back in the ring.

"Well, soon enough, it'll be showtime," Phil stated. "We should get back before fans see us."

"Alright, then! NOW LET'S FIRE IT UP AND GET THE BALL ROLLING!" John screamed, causing them all to yell in agreeable fashion before they walked away. They began to head back down the steps of the aisles in the stadium as they headed towards one of the large locker rooms, and greeted some of the co-workers along the way. AJ all the meanwhile squeezed Punk's hand as they made way to the back with the production team and other wrestlers.

As AJ quickly walked over to Amy, she tried to look happy, when she in reality, she was extremely nervous. "I don't know if I can do it," she blurted out biting her lips with a small frown. "Let's just finish with something that's more simple."

Amy blew out a laugh as soon as AJ turned her face to her, showing her a soft pout. "No. AJ, I'm not letting you back out of this. You _begged _me to teach you and I did. We've been rehearsing it for weeks; Eve agreed when we rehearsed it and tried it at the house shows last week. It's time now."

"Oh, c'mon, it doesn't have to be done tonight," AJ reasoned.

"It better be done tonight, or I'll get in the ring and kick your ass myself," Amy somewhat joked, the key word being _somewhat_, as John frowned in confusion. "What better be done?" he asked as AJ froze, and Amy look back at him with a smile.

"The Double Jump Moonsault," Amy proudly said, loud enough for AJ's boyfriend to hear also.

"What, like the BME?" Phil asked as AJ winced in shyness. "As in the one you did last weekend?"

"It is _exactly _like the BME," Amy emphatically answered, causing Phil to clap in excitement. "And she needs to get in the ring and do it. Tonight."

"Did I just hear that right?" Daniel asked as he joined the group. "The 'Best Moonsault Ever' will be done by a WWE Diva?"

"Yes, you did hear right Daniel, but I can't do it," AJ snapped as she shook her head. "If I botch that move, my career will be over before it even starts. That, and Christopher Daniels will find me and cut me if I do it wrong."

"But he won't, because you're going to nail it. You've been hurting those poor NXT rookies for weeks to get it right," Amy said to AJ as she patted her shoulder. The petite brunette simply sighed, shaking her hands in timid trepidation. "AJ... just relax. You got this is the bag, kid. Just dazzle them with this to end the match," Amy assured.

"We should definitely do it, AJ. I mean, anything to put on a good show is always a positive," Eve said as wrapped her arm around her for comfort and support. With that being said, AJ simply shrugged.

"Okay," AJ finally relented said as Kaitlyn beamed, walking away with her as Phil laughed at Amy.

"I can't believe you taught her that," he whispered to the redhead with a smile. "You're a pretty damn awesome coach."

"I can't stop another Diva from flying," she said, smiling proudly to herself. "That just wouldn't be fair."

* * *

"Hey, you excited about your match? I mean its you, Randy Orton and The Big Show going up against The Shield. It'll be like as if it was the Justice League taking on the Legion of Doom. Man, I can't wait!" Kaitlyn's brother Clay asked with his noticeable Texan accent heavy and his grin wider than the whole Lone Star State that made Stephen simply shake his head and laugh. He nodded in agreement as he wrapped up his wrist in his locker room, dressed in his trunks and boots and ready to kick of the second hour of the show off with his big 6 Man Tag Match.

"Yeah, this is one brutal match for the books. We get to show those three fellas the kind of toughness, tenacity and ferocity that made us World Heavyweight Champions," he said as Kaitlyn smiled his way.

"I wish you were going for the belt again this time," Stephen's sister Erin said as her big Ginger head brother just shrugged it off.

"There will be plenty other times, lass. It's fine."

"Well I'm excited to watch also. As scared as I am of Roman hurting you, I'll be rooting just for you all night," Kaitlyn moaned as the wardrobe tailor came over with his fabric stickers.

"Hold on, Kait." He stopped the girl from peeling it off for placement, and then looked up to Kaitlyn, who just looked lost. He took it from her hands and waved them to Kaitlyn.

"These are important to me…so would it be alright if ya placed them on for me?"

Kaitlyn scoffed, smiling shyly as everyone else looked. She slowly sat across from him as she took his Celtic Cross trademark stickers with shaken hands. She didn't mean to feel dramatic, but it's moments like this that made her relationship with him feel special. Having him in her life is one reward she received from what happened last summer.

"I'm headed to the seats. Good luck, big bro," Erin said before hugging Stephen and kissing his cheek. Clay also shook hands and snickered while hugging him, then escorted Erin out as Kaitlyn kept touching his firm strong hand.

After she smoothed the sticker on, straight and perfect as if done professionally, she rubbed her hand over it as he pulled her closer. "Wish me luck?" he asked.

"Like Punk always says, _'Luck's for losers'_," she muttered before placing a kiss on him. "But I love you, and I know you'll do great."

"Good enough," he smiled, intertwining hands with her as he exited his locker room.

* * *

Punk kept throwing punches in the air to warm up as he watched and waited for his match to come soon. But in all honesty, he just wanted to just skip his match. He had been wrestling for over 14 years, and he never had a match that he wanted to avoid, until now. He did a good job making sure not to get shoved by Ryback for two months, so Brock was no exception to that feeling. He didn't want to be manhandled in front of the near 90,000 WWE fans sitting out there.

But he kept thinking about why he had to do this. Why would he agree to fight the _other _most successful protégé in Paul Heyman's life? He knew that his health was on the line, and he was faking his concern up until now. But then he thought about where he was doing this. WrestleMania is where history is made, heroes become legends, legends become immortals, and moments are forever created.

Punk had his fair share of memorable moments over the years. Whether it was cashing twice while holding the Money in the Bank briefcase, or dropping a smoking hot pipebomb that would eventually lead him to the coveted WWE Championship, and holding said championship for an astronomically mammoth reign.

Being in a high profiled and historic match like this was just another brass ring on his path to immortality. He could walk out of this company tomorrow if he could, knowing full well he would one day have a guaranteed place in the hallowed WWE Hall of Fame, with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and even John Cena himself and all his other co-workers than have amounted to greatness.

Still, he wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone. Paul left him alone and AJ did as well, spreading the word that he didn't want to be bothered until his match. He just wanted to be alone. So once he heard the door open, his blood started to boil. After inhaling stiffly, he quickly turned to the person walking in to try and scare them away.

"I said I'm not in the fucking mood to talk…"

"Sorry I missed that memo."

He stopped glaring once Vince and Hunter stood at opposite ends of a man, a man he's received nothing but great words of wisdom and much returned respect from since their days together on Smackdown. This man defended him when he didn't have Paul in his corner in the WWE, and he's someone he should have been facing tonight instead of Brock. This man, despite what everyone else says, is the true Mr. WrestleMania.

"Mark," Phil said softly as Mark Calloway, known to the entire world as The Undertaker, stepped up with a small smile and extended his hand for the Straight Edge star. Without any hesitation, they chuckled and hugged it out. "I didn't know you showed up."

"Yeah well, God himself couldn't stop me from being here," Mark boasted.

Phil looked to the woman behind him and hugged her as well. "Michelle, you look great."

"You're looking fine as well Phil," She complimented with a bright smile. Everyone heard the door open and looked back, watching Paul walk in behind Stephanie and AJ.

"Sorry if I was interrupting," AJ said with a tense smile.

"It's fine AJ, we asked for you to come," Hunter nodded as she gasped and watched Mark make eye contact with her. Even though she had been here for years, she had yet to meet The Deadman in person. The little fan in her wanted to mark out, but she just smiled awkwardly, trying her best to content herself.

"Oh, wow. I… hello Michelle, Undertak- I mean Mr. Calloway… or Mark."

She paused quickly, forgetting that he wasn't in character and looking nearly as dark and creepy as usual. She cursed herself out for addressing him in character, which only made Mark break a smile towards Phil.

"So, this is her, huh?" he asked. AJ frowned as Phil nodded. Mark just eyed her with Michelle and smiled. "She really is cute."

"Cute?" she frowned as Phil nervously bit his lip playfully. She glared Phil's way with her hand on her hips. "You told The Undertaker I was _cute_?"

"Sorry about that. Mark, this is my girl, April, the one and only AJ Lee in the ring." Mark just let out a rumbling chuckle as he shook hands with the young diva.

"Trust me. Punk talks about you a whole lot and he says you're everything as well as cute," Mark commented, which made AJ just glow in Michelle's wrapped hug. "You look good April. And congrats on tonight. I know you're excited!" Michelle beamed as AJ nodded in excitement.

"Alright, then. Since everyone is here, we should get this out of the way," Vince said, urging everyone to have a seat. They took spots and formed a circle of some sort, just so Mark could face Phil, AJ and Heyman with Vince, Hunter, Stephanie and Michelle by his side.

"Okay, so everything that's said here has to stay within these walls. And I've asked not to be bothered until we all leave," Vince stated, earning a nod from everyone.

"Phil, You and I have been talking about competing one on one again for quite some time now. And although tonight should have been our night, it wasn't," Mark explained as Punk leaned over comfortably and nodded. "But I just signed a contract with Vince for Wrestlemania XXX next year. And I've again named you as my desired opponent. But it's going to be my last match here in the WWE."

"So not only do you want me to face you next year, but I'm gonna be your last opponent? Wow," Phil genuinely observed as Mark nodded. AJ curled her feet into the couch as she listened, knowing that The Undertaker was a very inspirational figure in the business. Now knowing that he was soon going to be wrestling in his final match is a bittersweet deal.

"Yeah. But, I want to switch things up a bit," Mark said, sitting back as Hunter searched for the next words to say.

"We talked about having the match being the main event and how this should be amped all year round, starting tonight. With Mark not being in the show, it's a great way to make it known that he will be back next year. So after your match with Brock, there's gonna be a blackout, he'll appear in the ring, tombstone Brock, and tower over you, signaling a message for a challenge at WrestleMania next year."

"Yeah and… I've been thinking about that number and my streak. It holds a lot of history behind it, and I've gained so much respect with it. But now, I want to pass that respect on to someone else who has been in the business long enough to appreciate it." Phil frowned as Mark sighed, looking conflicted about what was said next.

"I'm going to get better and train for next year's event, but… I want it to be 20-1."

AJ gasped a little as Phil looked at Mark, waiting for him to break out a smile or tell him he was ribbing him. But the serious stern look on The Phenom's face just made his heart beat faster. Mark was very serious and that meant the respect level between them just hit an all-time high.

"You… you want me to end the streak?" Phil asked with a perplexed look on his face, the tone of his voice sounding very much like he couldn't believe what he just heard. He should understand this, but for the life of him, he could not find the logic behind this. After years of being treated like he was at the bottom of the barrel, he was being given a chance to make huge steps to fame and name. But why?

"Out of all the people in this business…why me?"

"Because I want you too," he said, looking Punk right in the eyes as he finished his statement. "Think about it: you talk a lot about getting the respect you deserve. I'm giving to you."

Phil glanced around the room, still waiting for someone to slap him in the face with a taunting laugh, bringing him back to reality. This _had_ to have been some sort of joke. He was expecting to see Paul, Hunter, Steph, or even Vince break out in a laugh, letting him in on the prank, but this appeared to be the real deal.

"Mark... you can't be serious."

"Punk, with the right promo work from us, you and I only, we can make this a great match for next year. You know it. Do you really want to think about it?"

Punk let out a chuckle, caressing his face and looking conflicted about it. AJ squeezed his hand when he grabbed it, inhaling as everyone just waited for the answer from him.

She knew why he was being so hesitant. He wasn't scared to do it, but having this huge build up on his shoulders was a big deal. He didn't doubt himself. He never had and never would, but he was just thinking about the days building up to this, and how his final years in the WWE would be affected with this match.

How will this affect this legacy? How will this affect his future as CM Punk?

* * *

"You ready?" Kaitlyn asked, catching her attention as they waited near the corridor, watching Sheamus slowly struggle to rise to his feet. He and Big Show were defeated by The Shield after Randy turned on them, delivering a shocking RKO to Sheamus as he was closing in on the victory. AJ nodded as Phil rubbed her shoulders. Amy received the wave over from the producer and Phil turned her to face them.

"You got this," he said while she bobbed her head. She pulled her blue skull bone knee pads up and adjusted the green laces and straps on her hi-top Chuck Taylors. Her custom cut and tied black T-shirt with skull and crossbones in white along the hem was covered by a White and Blue varsity jacket to stable with Layla and Kaitlyn.

"I know I got this. Stop repeating it," she requested with a smile, straightening her jacket as he smiled. "Are you okay after…?"

"I'm fine. We made a decision and we'll worry about it later but right now, this is about you and your match," he said. She bowed her head while he just smirked at her.

"Alright. Now show me your hands," he demanded softly. She frowned while holding them up and as he took a blue sharpie and removed the top.

"You have nothing to be worried about. You got this far all on your own because you worked hard to get here. You put in the work for this, not anyone else," he reminded her as he turned her hand over to expose her fist. "Doubt fucks everything and you know it."

A small smile left her lips as he drew a small X at the bottom of her fist.

"So when you go out there, you prove to everyone how strong you've always been, and how hard you worked for this," he advised.

AJ just smiled at the man in her life. She never thought of having a match at Wrestlemania this early in her career, let alone that it was for the Divas Championship, and that it was taking place, of all things, in her hometown, and she never thought he would be the supportive boyfriend in her corner. She really has become the luckiest girl in the world.

"Thank you." she gratefully spoke, then paused before adding, "For everything," before kissing him. "I love you so much."

"I love you back. And I'll be back here when you're done, okay?" he promised before he left them alone as Stephanie stepped to her with a smile.

"AJ, you're out after Amy reaches the ring. Remember, far stage right, wait for the firework pyro and wait for the count of four seconds to leave. You can greet your family but not for too long," Stephanie lectured, smiling warmly at all of them as she nodded. "Oh, and one more thing… have fun out there."

"I'll try my greatest," AJ muttered with widened eyes as she stepped up with Kaitlyn and Layla smiling, watching on a small TV that was with them in the Gorilla position, a video package detailing the events that led her and Eve to this night, this moment in time.

This was it. This was really it. Her moment was so close and all she had to do was climb over this final hurdle, and she would have reached the proverbial mountain top, attaining everlasting glory.

* * *

Next Chapter: Divas Match set for one fall? How will it go down?

Red Foxie, xLifeFullOfLaughterx, Sam CF, and Raiden519 thanks for adding your two cents and reviewing. Love you for your constant support!


	32. Like Diamonds in the Sky

"Ladies and gentlemen, this next bout is set of one fall… and it is for the WWE Divas Championship!"

As Lilian Garcia looked around the crowd, she noticed most of the fans cheering and getting to their feet for the first time in a long time. She was happy herself to announce a Divas Title match on the grandest stage for the first time in a long time, after not having one since WrestleMania 23. As the night began to fall over MetLife Stadium and the clock hit the top of the 9 o'clock hour, Lilian, as well as the many fans in attendance, stood in all smiles as the first person entered the stadium.

As the opening notes, followed by the well-known screaming chorus of _lovepassionfuryenergy_ rang through the speakers, the one and only Lita came out ready to go. Dressed in red and black to honor the New Jersey Devils hockey team, the four time Women's Champion pointed to the electric crowd and entered her in her own vintage Rock star way. The fans even had signs for her, and she pointed to one in particular that read _'Lita for HOF 2014'_. She wished she could tell the world that Hunter already gave her that call but tonight wasn't about her.

She made her way to the ring and slide in, posing in her extreme form and pointing to her special enforcer stamp as Lillian announced her. Eventually, Lita's music would die down, and everyone else's attention turned back to the top of the stage, waiting in eager anticipation for the first official combatant of the match to make her entrance.

* * *

As soon as the familiar chime blared through the speakers, the Tri-State fans stood tall and waited to see one of their very own enter the stadium. Those cheers increased tenfold once AJ skipped out, beaming endlessly with her hand gesturing for more hype. They gave it to her as she showed off her New York Giants colored jacket and skipped to the stage, pointing her peace sign high as the fireworks went off, wowing everyone in sight.

"Introducing first, the challenger, being accompanied to the ring by Kaitlyn and Layla, from Union City, New Jersey… AJ Lee!" The crowd roared at Lilian's introduction, popping louder for the hometown mention. AJ nodded as the both of her friends followed her to the ring.

All she did was stare around her, seeing guys and girls cheer for her as she pointed their way. Both Layla and Kaitlyn matched jackets with her and connected hands with the fans, but AJ skipped her way down the rest of the long ramp as she noticed her family seated to her right at ringside. She kept going in that direction as she headed right for them, leaning over the barricade to kiss her father's cheek.

Her hardcore fans remembered her story from NXT, where her father bought her tickets to Wrestlemania XX all those years ago, even if the seats were not good, just so she could attend her first one. Now here he was all these years later, watching his baby girl wrestle in her first one, with the chance for her to win her first championship in WWE the extra special cherry on top. She wished she could tell them the outcome to the match, but she wanted their reactions to be real and pure at the end of it all.

Eve's music hit next and the champion felt her goosebumps grow to intensified levels. This was it. This was going to be her final WrestleMania and she would enter the ring as the champion for the very last time. This was a huge moment for her and after seven years of being in this company, she had nothing but memories here. From winning the Divas' Search competition, to her numerous and memorable feuds with the other female talents of past and present, to becoming a multiple time Divas Champion.

* * *

Eve noticed all her real fans cheering her past the heat for her heel character as she posed gloriously. The pyro shot high and bright as she caressed her hair down while looking to the ring where her opponent stood as Tamina and Vickie joined her on the way down the ramp. She rolled her eyes and swayed her hips with a fake smile, not at all intimidated by the other women in the ring.

"And her opponent, from Denver, Colorado,… she is the WWE Divas Champion... Eve Torres!" Lilian introduced.

She caressed her title and smiled brightly while waving her hand in an arrogant, pompous manner. The three of them-being Eve, Tamina and Vickie-had already begun to talk trash and taunt AJ's family, just to get more heat from the fans before Eve entered the ring to pose. AJ just shook her head and laughed as her sister jumped up and leaned over the barricade, having AJ's other friends and family holding her back as Rose started arguing with Vickie and cursed her in Spanish, just the way Stephanie asked her too.

The referee Justin King took the belt from a hesitant Eve as AJ stripped off her jacket, handing it to Kaitlyn on the outside. Lita entered and patted them both down, only to have Eve give her a bit of an attitude. Lita stared her down as Eve shooed her away, watching the ref hold the title high, signifying to the crowd what this match was all about.

Before the bell rang however, Eve tried to get on up on AJ and charged for her, but AJ took her down with a drop toe-hold, causing Eve's face to bounce of the mat in shock. The ref pushed AJ back to get Eve room, checking on her as Eve just looked surprised. AJ kept smiling at the display of quickness as Eve slowly got to her feet, wiping her face down with a look of disgust. The ref cleared her once Eve nodded, ringing the bell and getting the match officially underway.

* * *

The match was wild and exciting. Eve and AJ kept seizing each other, countering out of one another's moves just to make it look conflicted. They threw just about everything at each other, from roll ups and quick pins to tossing each other around catfight style, but both women showcased their in-ring abilities perfectly. They studied one another to know what to do and what not to, and for the most part, it entertained the fans completely.

After ten minutes, they both looked excited and tired, but they had the crowd excited and happy with the bout. Punk couldn't even sit down once Eve almost hit AJ with a crossbody attempt, only to have AJ quickly move out the way, and Eve knocked the referee down instead.

As everyone oohed with concern, Lita entered the ring, checking on the ref who was knocked down cold. Without a ref, under those terms and conditions, Lita had no choice but to replace him. She made sure the ref received medical assistance, then gestured Eve and AJ to continue as they locked up once more. Layla and Kaitlyn could hear the fans cheering for AJ, so they stood by and clapped it up with them to motivate their friend to keep it up.

"This is awesome," John said as he watched on.

"You took the words right out my mouth and everyone's brain," Punk said as he chuckled.

Eve dominated with aggression, making sure than AJ didn't get a chance to stand on her feet. She also kept avoiding AJ's high flying attacks by leaving and rolling out the ring. Lita did her job and tried to get them back in, but would get an attitude from Eve or Vickie every time. That gave AJ some leverage, as she used this time to jump over the ropes, land on the apron to fake Eve out, and then jumped up again, springboarding off the middle rope, delivering the Arabian moonsault to the outside and knocking Eve down to the floor.

Vickie distracted Lita for a sneak attack on AJ by Tamina, but before AJ that would transpire, Kaitlyn came charging around the corner, knocking Tamina down with a hard clothesline. Vickie, seeing her devious plan being snuffed out by Kaitlyn, backed away at Lita's request, leaving both AJ and Eve to get back into the ring as AJ kept Eve down with kicks and punches.

She then shoved Eve into a corner, throwing herself against her and even extending her leg out and held the rope, pressing a Foot Choke hold to Eve's neck as Lita told her to stop. At the count of four, AJ stopped, only to quickly resume and do it again. Lita yelled at her again to stop and again, AJ released her at the count of four. This time, Lita got in AJ's face and yelled at her, telling her to get her out of the corner. They may have been friendly toward each other during the build up to the match, but Lita was making sure to be impartial as she can be, ensuring no controversy on this night.

Then, when Tamina got her bearings back, she shoved Kaitlyn down and again tried to enter the ring, but Lita stepped in her face, yelling for her to get out. Vickie again tried to use this distraction to get in the ring to help Eve again, but Layla was one step ahead, getting on the ropes with her and knocking Vickie off with her Bombshell kick.

The fans cheered for the amount of excitement and action going on. Once Tamina refuse to leave and shoved her harshly, Lita was at her limit. So, what she did next was point to Tamina and Vickie with a simple, but intimidating smile. The crowd cheered loudly as she ejected both ladies from the match. Tamina stomped around as Vickie screamed, glaring at Lita as Tamina left the ring. Kaitlyn and Layla both laughed away from them, but soon, Lita was in their corner, and pointing for them to leave the match as well. They may not have liked it, but they understood it and respected Lita's impartiality because of this.

Now, with both members of their respective entourages now gone from the match, it was down to AJ and Eve to settle this, one on one, as it should be.

"Punk, you have ten minutes to the ring entrance." A producer yelled.

"Alright. Got it," he responded, not taking his eyes off this thrilling match.

As soon as ringside cleared, Eve mounted over AJ, throwing a plethora of punches as the smaller woman tried her best to defend with her arms guarding her face. The champion soon let up, taunting her opponent as Lita returned to call the match. Eve then tried to hit AJ with her Heartbreaker Neckbreaker, but AJ quickly countered, twisting herself and kicking Eve in the gut, then quickly grabbing her by the neck, placing her head into the standard seated three-quarter facelock jawbreaker hold, before flipping over and hitting the Shiranui, causing Eve to yell out due to the sharp pain in her back and neck due to the move.

AJ then pulled Eve by the hand, and then kicked up her foot, posing it on her shoulder to hit Eve with an inverted foot stomp to quickly knock her out. Everyone cheered for her as she kept breathing, contemplating her next move. She looked to the closest corner turnbuckle and pointed high.

"She's doing it," Daniel called out as he stood up, watching with everyone as AJ stepped on Eve's chest to keep her down.

"What is she doing?" Zack said as he smiled.

"She's doing it! She's gonna do it, man!" Kofi yelled as he shook Phil laughing.

"Well, it's already been thirteen minutes, she has to now at this point," John observed.

"Punk, get to the corridor-" a producer yelled.

"Hold the fuck up, will you? My girlfriend's on TV!" Phil cut him off as Kofi just laughed.

People stood up as AJ gripped the corner ropes. Without thinking so hard on it, she quickly hopped the first bottom rope, then second one in the middle. Gracefully, she hit the third rop-top turnbuckle and flipped, landing her double jump moonsault straight and perfectly onto Eve's body.

"Yes!' Punk exclaimed as everyone cheered with him, backstage and in the sold out stadium. AJ winced as she landed her body across Eve and pulled her leg up slowly. Lita checked to see if Eve's shoulder blades were down, and once she saw that they were, she then got into position, laid her body down adjacent to the two competitors, and raised her arm up before slamming it back down to the mat. It was there that time slowed down and stood still for AJ.

_1..._

With her eyes closed as she had Eve's leg hooked in the pin position, everything flashed before her: her upbringing, her financial struggles, her stint in WSU, and her WWE tryout in Florida...

_2..._

Her time in FCW, NXT, and her storylines after being called up to the main roster. Meeting and getting acquainted with the likes of Daniel, John, Kait, Lay, Kofi and Eve. And especially Phil. Then the darkest of dark moments with her attack, which then lead to brightest of bright lights when she and Phil, through it all, became closer and closer than they could ever expect...

_3._

After Amy smacked her hand on the canvas for the third and final time, the bell rang and the New Jersey and New York crowd erupted, serenading the atmosphere with massive loud cheers and applause.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your winner of the match... and _NEW _WWE Divas Champion... AJ Lee!" Lilian proudly and officially announced, making the massive crowd explode in positive energy yet again.

AJ closed her eyes and took deep breaths, letting go of Eve's leg and nearly collapsing next to her. The most physical and exciting match of their careers was now over, and she couldn't help but feel bittersweet about this, knowing that was her dear friend Eve's final match. She felt Amy's hand itch her arm, urging her to get up and accept her win. She slowly sat up, covering her face with her hands as she started to cry.

She stood up, clutching her sides as she eyed the butterfly pink and silver belt in Lita's hand. She couldn't believe it. It was hers now. After all the years of training and bump taking, highs and lows, victories and setbacks, it was finally hers now. She accomplished something she wanted to when she was just a little girl, watching Wrestling with her brother.

April Jeanette Mendez, AJ Lee, was finally a champion.

As she took the belt from Lita's hand, she stumbled down a little, only to have Lita hold her up and help her raise her hand in victory. She looked over and held the title high, letting out a loud primal scream of pure joy, seeing her father yell with excitement and happiness, her mother actually sobbing and siblings losing their minds over it.

Eve finally stood up and looked confused, clearly not happy with the clear call. She looked to Lita and AJ, eyeing the petite diva holding the butterfly belt and frowning in fury. She kept screaming and calling Lita a bias ref, causing Lita to laugh in her face and AJ to frown. As AJ tried to leave, Eve turned her harshly, shoving her down before getting in Lita's face and poking her chest.

Eve yelled at her to restart the match, but all it did was piss Lita off. But she played it cool and simply nodded, but before Eve could do anything else, Lita let her right hand fly into Eve's face, slapping the now former champion with great vigor. Eve winced in pain as AJ gasped in shock. Afterwards, Lita kicked Eve in the gut, and pulled her in with her head underneath the redhead's arms. The crowd went berserk and cheered again, knowing what would come next as the Xtreme Diva signaled her sign, and hit Eve with the famous Twist of Fate, causing the fans to go wild.

AJ clapped giddily like she was 14 years old again, until Lita took her hand again, raising it again as they celebrated in the ring. AJ mentally reminded herself to always remember that cherished moment, celebrating her first title win, on the biggest stage of them all, with her childhood idol right by her side.

She then rolled out the ring and walked over to her family, showing them the belt and yelling repeatedly that it was hers in excited fashion, as all her supporters cheered for her. But to add to the moment, she jumped up and sat on the barricade as everyone hugged her. She jumped down and held on, walking out with Lita as the cameras focused off her and then prepared for the next match.

This was a moment that she would never forget for the rest of her life.

* * *

_Backstage exclusive with WWE Active_

_AJ kept her eyes glued to the belt as she in a chair in the halls. With her hand to her face and wiping her tears, she noticed the cameras coming her way and just kept smiling brightly. _

"_AJ Lee, first off, huge congratulations to winning the Divas Championship out there," AJ said thank you as the interview continued, "You did it in New Jersey, your home state area, and on the grandest stage of them all. How do you feel?" _

_She chuckled as she looked down once again, tracing the diamonds and crystals in pink before shrugging. "You know, I…I still don't…I can't believe this honestly." She laughed brightly. _

"_You were out for the latter part of last year, but you came back in January with a lot of new skills and tactics. Do you think you impressed everyone out there?" _

"_I know I did. I had my family front row and they have been with me since I decided to make this dream a reality. So to win like this…in front of them felt amazing. It's really amazing." _

"_You know, Eve said over and over that you didn't have the 'total package' to be a champion let alone a Diva, and criticized you on your height, looks, your experience…" _

"_Well, I clearly showed her how experienced I am now." She cut off with a boasting laugh. "I mean, I can't lie. It was hard. Her little stable didn't make it easy and Lita had to get involved under the rules. But I had my girls, my Chickbuster and honorary Chickbuster, Kaitlyn and Layla in my corner, and Lita called it down the middle fairly. And Eve's one of the best here, in our Division…she gave me the fight of my life." AJ exhaled, shaking her head and trying not to cry. "But I fought, I fairly beat her and that's that." _

"_Do you think this is what the fans should expect from the Divas?" _

"_Of course. I meant what I said. I work just as hard as all the athletes here, male or female. The women that have been in the company, past and present, even the future who are eager to become a Diva, we all work hard. And no matter what people think or see in us, we will keep working….and we'll look damn good doing it." She nodded._

"_Women wrestling still matters to the Divas here, and we'll keep working hard until people believe in us again. They will believe in us." She assured. _

"_So along with you as a champion for the first time, is this really is the new and improved, but still unpredictable AJ Lee?" _

_AJ nodded with the title high. "Yes….Yes!...Yes!" she yelled as she looked towards the door, opening it as she kept yelling yes in the halls. _

"Clear!" the producer yelled as Stephanie clapped with the team. As AJ stopped walking and turned back, covering her lips and tearing up as Vince held up his hand, giving her a high five. "That was good AJ. Really impressive," Vince nodded as Hunter high fived her as well.

"Thanks… for that and all the opportunities you've given me."

"Well deserved, kid," Stephanie said while hugging her. Punk couldn't control his excitement as everyone, including himself, ran to AJ to congratulate her when she returned behind the curtain and picked her up quickly. Everyone clapped as he spun her around to celebrate with her, hearing her musical giggles fill the halls. Her strong legs wrapped around his waist as she held the belt up to him.

"I did it!" she yelled happily as he nodded against her. He chuckled as AJ kept sniffing her tears. "I really did it."

Punk pressed his forehead against hers and she looked at him with a huge smile. "You fucking did it, baby, and you put on a show doing it," he expressed with a warm smile on his face.

"I did," she repeated, smiling brightly until he put her down.

"That... was fucking... _awesome_!" Kaitlyn shouted upon entering the scene, hugging her with Layla as she screamed with glee with the rest of her Diva friends on the roster. "You totally kicked ass out there!"

"I got my ass kicked too. Man, my back is killing me," she moaned as Phil just rubbed the small in her lower back for her.

"Hey, don't worry about it. If I'm still alive and able-bodied at the end of the night, I'll give you a rub down myself," Phil quietly promised her.

"I appreciate that. But you know how ticklish I can get whenever I'm being patted down for a massage," she told him with a slight embarrassing blush, garnering a rumbling chuckle from Phil.

"Don't worry, I won't tickle... much," he winked at her, causing her give a hard, but playful slap to his chest.

AJ kept getting and receiving hugs and congrats from everyone by her. Even John and Sheamus hugged and offered their congratulations, but she spotted Eve walking over as Amy talked to her. AJ couldn't help the smile on her face, but it still hurt to see Eve look so bittersweet over this final Pay per View moment. Eve glanced her way, then just bit her lips and entered the crowd to embrace her warmly, showing respect to her competitor.

"We kicked ass." AJ said, laughing with her as they separated slowly.

"I can't wait for them to try and come up with something bad to say about it." Eve snickered out. "You did great. And you put up a great fight. I'm proud of you April." Phil looked towards the clock.

"Punk, Living Colour is coming on in five. You're needed by the stage!" A producer yelled, causing him to give AJ a smile and another wink.

"Phil..."

"I know, baby, I know. Don't worry, Apple Jacks, I'll be fine," he swore to her with her hand on his wrist tape bandaged hand. "I got this."

"OK... you got this," she repeated, bobbing her head slowly. She looked around and took a sharpie from the producers' pocket, writing something on the wrist of his bandage as he smiled. "Well, like you always said, _'Luck's for Losers'_, so this is my way of reminding you why you'll steal the show."

"_Más Fuerte_," He read as AJ nodded.

"Stronger," she translated, causing his grin to expand as she beamed for him. She pressed a kiss into his cheek and he nodded, letting go and rubbing his hands together.

He walked away with his hand waved in the air, ready to make another moment happen tonight that could change his life forever.

* * *

Oh how I wish THIS was happening. But, what ever will be will be this Sunday. At least she'll be out there for more than 25 seconds. (Counting the entrances people). Here Diary makes me love her and respect her a lot more. As a Jersey Girl, I can relate to a lot of the things she's said about the people in the Tri-State. I love it. And Living Colour is playing for Punk? I'm dead about it all.

Is anyone excited about Sunday? No, just me? IDK, why are you excited? [Please send the answer to that in a PM and Not a review. Actually REVIEW this chapter. Maizeandbluekid, Sam CF, xLifeFullOfLaughterx, DoubleDee068 (please don't cry dear. I know you'll love it), Raiden519, and my Punk's Lockerroom buddy Red Foxie, thank you BBs for reviewing and to everyone who read, the next chapter is being posted...soon. :)

Next Chapter: Punk v Brock: Who will rise and who will fall?


	33. The End of a Long Road

"Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest... is a Last Man Standing Match!" Justin Roberts roared as the crowd thundered in MetLife Stadium. "Now, in this match, there are no pinfalls, no submissions, no count outs, and no disqualifications. The only way to win is to incapacitate your opponent to a point where he can not answer the referee's count of 10," Justin informed the crowd before looking to his right at the Straight Edge superstar.

"Introducing first… from Chicago, Illinois… weighting in at 228 pounds… C..M…Punk!"

After walking into Living Colour playing his revolutionary theme song live, Punk stood on the turnbuckle, inhaling some of the heat and more of the support from his fans in the arena. This match had a huge fight night feel too it as he stood confident. He went old school with his outfit, bringing back the long shorts from his Indy days, with the sponsored logo of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu on one leg, New York Giants colors in his trademark Chicago stars on the other leg and in his boots. He kept jumping to hype himself up and build his momentum of the crowd.

"And his opponent... from Minneapolis, Minnesota... weighting in at 286 pounds... Brock... Lesnar!"

Brock kept jogging in place, getting ready for the battle without looking fearful or intimidated by Punk. But a small sadistic smile slowly appeared once he heard the crowd fainting chanting Punk's name. He clearly was the bad guy here, and he could give less of a shit what they thought about him. He beat John Cena within an inch of his life, crippled Shawn Michaels and ended the career of "The Game", Triple H. The fans clearly weren't going to favor him just to make him happy. He didn't come back to the WWE to make people happy. He was there to make money and kick ass.

Punk didn't show any fear in his stance either, but kept his hands up and close to his face defensively as Referee Charles Robinson discussed the rules to him. Tonight, he was going to be the show and prove example of how aggressive he is. He agreed to all the information given and when he moved on to the center of the ring, Brock prepped himself up as well before the ref could ring the bell.

Brock immediately charged right at Punk like a bull and got underneath him, quickly tackling him down with a double leg takedown as the crowd roared. With Punk having his hands and arms up high covering his face, Brock just kept swinging his fists and elbows onto him. These were not soft punches of any kind, they were hard, sharp, and brutal to take with Brock dominating.

But unlike Brock's other opponents, Punk knew a lot more about counters and takeovers when it came to this form of MMA style. So when Brock tried to deliver the knockout blow from the top position, Punk quickly caught his arm, twisting it and swiftly turning it as he locked his legs securely around Brock's waist. Brock tried to counter out as Punk kept bending his arm and once he rolled Punk into his back and shoulders. Punk wiggled out of the pin before the second pinfall count.

Brock jumped up as Punk backed away, and he looked at his opponent nonchalantly, and just snickered confidently and jogged in place. Realizing that he may have met his match, Brock stood up and wiped his nose. The crowd started to get into it as Punk clearly started to show his smarts against the beast. Once that was understood, Brock just started nodding, ready again for whatever was coming as he finally locked up with Punk again.

AJ meanwhile kept sitting still while watching in the back, not cheering or yelling as the match started on. Every hit, every shove, and every slam to Punk's body made her wince and shutter. She couldn't react as much to it without feeling the urge to run out there and stop the match herself.

"AJ, you don't have to watch this," Colt said into her ear as the match rolled on. AJ still didn't move or speak, causing Amy and Kaitlyn to look over in concern. "AJ…"

"Colt, shut up I'm fine," she snapped as her eyes remained glued to the screen.

Back in the ring, the two competitors kept going for blows, kicks, armlocks and takedowns. Punk even impressed the crowd with knee shots to the gut and numerous roundhouse body kicks, knowing full well that Brock's past history with mononucleosis and diverticulitis made his stomach a pinpoint weakness. He also countered out of all of Brock's submissions and took Brock down at every chance with his high flying moves and quick strikes. Of course, Brock's size survived as a major dominate advantage, but Punk's agility caught him off guard and gave him the upper hand. They even used everything and anything in sight; the steel steps, kendo sticks, chairs, even garbage cans, everything but the kitchen sink.

* * *

The match felt longer than any half hour bound viewed on TV. At about 23 minutes in, Brock had Punk down on the mat after sharp elbows to the head and face, cutting him deeply. This hazed Punk as he rolled outside to the floor near the announce table. Punk kept breathing heavily as the blood started to drip from his face, and before he could stand up, Brock was already waiting for him, spearing him right into the side of the announce table.

As Punk screamed out in pain, Brock picked him up and hoisted him up in the Fireman's Carry position. As he looked towards the barricade, he let out a dark chuckle and started to walk over. Without much remorse, Brock swung Punk over his shoulder to deliver the F-5. However, Brock wanted this one to make a great impact, so knowing where exactly to keep his distance, he still executed the move, but did so in a way that caused Punk's torso to land right over the barricade, and land hard, crushing him directly on his chest and rib area. To say it was a brutal spot was an easy understatement.

Soon, Paul Heyman would show up ringside, clearly emotionally distraught and torn over what had come about between his two protégés. Brock then picked up the chair and pointed to Heyman, yelling for him to throw in the towel and end it. When Paul didn't, Brock proceeded to hit Punk right in the head with back with the chair.

Everyone watched uncomfortably as Brock kept putting Punk's body continuously. He started yelling in Punk's face, still hitting him with the chair and telling him to stay down. Brock yelled at Heyman once more, telling him to end this match now before he ends Punk.

Brock stopped for a moment to catch his breath, and clutch his hurt stomach and Punk held to his own ribs in pain. The ref then started the count to ten, and from the way Punk kept coughing up blood something was off about him.

"Why is he coughing like that?" Kofi asked, and as he did, it alarmed AJ immediately. She knew what may have caused that. But he was already getting up, struggling to his feet before the ref hit seven. He might just survive this enough to win this match as promised, even though he was banged up badly.

Paul refused to call it off, and that's when Brock lost it. The fans then witnessed something they never thought they'd ever see. Paul stared at Brock with fear in his body language, but confidence in his eyes and voice. As Brock kept demanding, it infuriated Paul into yelling as well. The two battled with words as Paul kept yelling for Brock to continue the match, but Brock pointed to the white towel in his hand.

The crowd then went crazy over what happened next, as Paul worked up enough courage to reach up and slap Brock clear across the face. They couldn't believe it. Paul Heyman had been the doctor to the Frankenstein in Brock Lesnar over the years. Brock had also been known to protect Paul or hurt anyone who messed with him. So to see the two disagree this way was a huge shock, but widely entertaining.

It was also a huge shock however when Brock's right fist made contact with Heyman's jaw, sending him down to the ground. Brock kept yelling and lost his focus, so when he gave up and finally turned around, he was surprised to see Punk holding steel steps up high. Brock was hit directly with the large object and sent plummeting to the ground, causing the fans to cheer as Punk gained the momentum.

Everyone stood up once Punk ripped the table apart lazily. He turned to Paul, pointing to the towel and shaking his head, asking if he was okay and telling him to keep away from the match. He turned to the ref counting as Brock slowly stood up at the count of eight. Punk's attempts to jump down with a chair failed as Brock stood on the table as well, causing Punk to drop the chair on the Spanish Announce table surface. They exchanged blows, and out of no where, Brock twisted Punk into the Kimura lock.

Punk yelled in pain, trying to fight the turn of his arm. He just began to counter it with vicious sharp knees to Brock's weakened gut. Brock loosed the hold right after, causing Punk to lift Brock quickly onto his shoulders. Before anyone had a chance to take the photo op, Punk lowered him and landed the GTS quickly. This not only knocked Brock out, but it sent him crashing into the announce table and the steel chair. Brock's head hit the chair under them and Punk arched his back in pain.

After a ref counted to eight, Punk stumbled to his feet and leaned against the ring as he winced in pain. He stood on his two feet as Brock tried to get up. But the Anomaly failed, and as he weakly stumbled back down and clutched his stomach in pain, the ref reached ten and called for the bell to end the battle. Punk hit the floor in relief as the ref when to raise his hands in victory.

* * *

However, before Punk could officially celebrate this colossal win, a sound went off that immediately sent the crowd into a tizzy. That sound was none other than a all-too familiar _**GONG**_, and right after that, the lights soon went out, encasing the massive stadium in total darkness. The fans immediately knew what this meant, and tried their best to catch an image as flashbulbs popped all over the place. A few moments later, the _**GONG** _sounded again, and the lights came back on, giving Punk and the near 90,000 in attendance a shocking sight.

It was The Undertaker, standing atop the announce table, holding Brock by the throat and looking directly at Punk with a menacing glare. Soon after, without even uttering a mere sound, he hoisted the behemoth up, and after proper positioning, delivered an emphatic Tombstone Piledriver, driving Brock's head and neck area straight down, which miraculously, did not cause the table to give weight and break at all.

After a brief strenuous tension-filled pause, The Deadman turned his attention away from Brock's fallen form, and set his sights back on the Second City Saint, staring intensely at the battered competitor. Then, again without saying a word, he turned his head to the right, gazing upon the massive titantron screen that sat atop the entrance ramp. Punk, curiously wondering what the hell this was all about, followed in tune, and what he saw caused great surprise and intrigue, to say the least.

Displayed fully and proudly on the screen was the logo for next year's WrestleMania, it's bright colors and large lettering a sight to behold. While Punk noted that the purple coincidentally was an iconic motif for The Phenom, he still wondered why this was shown. A gander at a peek at the words shown below gave him his answer. It simply stated:

**_April 6, 2014_**

**_The Streak will rise again_**

Punk knew exactly was this meant: The Undertaker was challenging him to a match at WrestleMania XXX, putting his glorious and historic record-breaking Streak on the line. While having conflicted thoughts about it, Punk came to his decision simply based on this merit: for the past several months, he had been venting (some would say complaining) about not getting the respect that he so cherishes and richly deserves. Well, what better way to do garner that respect, than at The Show of Shows, The Grandest Stage of them all, The Showcase of the Immortals, than to do something what no mortal man has ever done before?

So with that, Punk turned his steely-eyed glare to the near 7-foot statuesque man in black, and with a determined look, sharply nodded his forward, as if to say, "You're on, Deadman."

In response to this, The Undertaker returned his nod and apparent acceptance with a bob of his own, almost appreciative perhaps of his now future opponent's choice. Then, with a quick motion, he raised his arms up before crossing them together at his chest, and performing his signature throat slash taunt, effectively sealing the deal. After that, the GONG hit once more, and the lights went out yet again, shrouding the place completely in the dark. When the lights came back on moments later, The Undertaker had vanished, nowhere to be seen.

While the rest of the WWE Universe speculated amongst themselves about what had just happened. Punk once again tried to soak in his victory over Brock. Still, something wasn't right with him. He kept his head down and coughed again, looking around in a state of confusion as the WWE medical staff nearby checked on him carefully. They managed to clean off the exposes wound on his forehead as he stood up tall, watching Paul walk over to check on him as well. He asked repeatedly if he was okay, smiling as Punk gave him an assuring nod. He didn't really looked focused, so Paul just wrapped an arm around his protégé as they both left the ring area and headed to the back.

Punk noticed everyone looking his way and clapping for him proudly, causing him to nod and accept the gratitude. Laughter left this guts painfully as AJ ran to him, gently hugging him as he hugged her back warmly.

"Baby, that was wonderful!" she praised as he took her hand laughing. "You had people cheering for you and favoring you again. That match really stole the show."

Punk just kept his eyes on AJ as her hand travelled to his chest. However she started frowning, as she watched him breath heavily and could feel his heart beating. It was very out of pace, and his pulse was running high. Her eyes widened as he muttered something very low but it wasn't making any sense.

"Punk? What's wrong" she asked with concern. "Phil…?"

Punk didn't response at all. He collapsed backward, feeling Paul and Colt catch him from hitting the ground. He remembered seeing AJ hovering over him and heard her call his name repeated to keep him conscious. However, the feeling of his chest caving in and all the air in his lung slowly decreasing took over.

He really wanted to hug AJ, spin her around like he did after her win and kiss her till she was out of breath. Colt was going to hug him tightly and pour Pespi on him while Amy yelled at him for almost scaring her in the match. He'd probably get a pat on the back from Sheamus, Kaitlyn, Daniel, and even John for defeating the Beast in what will go in as the best match of the night and maybe in his career.

He promised to take care of himself for them all, and more importantly for AJ. He stared at the words she wrote on his wrist and he thought it would help, but it didn't. He failed in trying to stay up and bounce back up, and just let everything fade to black around him.

* * *

AJ slowly entered Punk's ER room as Colt and Punk's family stood beside her. Her ears were hurting to the sounds of machines blaring and the employees yelling out medical terms as they worked to prep him for the night and to keep him alive. She had to fight tooth and nail for the medical staff to let her in, which his mother approved of. He needed to know that she wasn't leaving his side.

"How is he?" Colt asked as AJ just kept her eyes on him, watching him weakly smile her way and felt a light squeeze in his hand.

"Well, there's some internal bleeding. It looks like he suffered a huge force of trauma to the rib and chest area during his match. The company's medical doctor was able to track his breathing and noticed the bruise early hand. We ran a CT as soon as he got in and found broken ribs, which caused a Pneumothorax to occur," the doctor stated.

"Sorry, doc. I don't know what the hell that means. English, please?" Colt asked bluntly. The doctor then delivered the official confirmatory prognosis. "He has a punctured lung."

Colt, as well as everyone else in the room, winced at the mere utter of those words. But AJ looked at the doctor with a glass-eyed glare, not really believing what she had just heard.

"Punctured... lung?"

"Yes, you heard correctly. The cracked ribs punctured the lung. Your medic staff saved him some time by using a needle to give him air, but we need to close that air way. A Pleurodesis needs to be performed in order to repair this. So he's going up to surgery, right now," one explained to them before she could ask any questions.

"Wait, he's going in now?" AJ asked with concern. "But…he was going to do this later in the week at home…"

"That might have been what was planned, but not now. He needs to immediately be treated on his lungs and ribs so he can breathe again. It's the best we can do. You can see him once he comes back."

"AJ, let's wait out here. He'll be fine," Punk's mother Lisa urged as they approached the doors, waiting for AJ to let go.

AJ gave them a nod, and then leaned down with a weak smile as he tried to open his eyes. "Phil…I'm outside with your family. I love you and… if you try to die on me and on all of us, I'll cut you." She muttered, causing Chez, Chaleen, Colt and even the doctor to smile.

"But you'll be okay. I know you will," she urged while kissing his forehead softly. The nurses nodded to her as she took Colt's hand, letting them enter a hallway with Phil's body. A tear left her eye once they closed the doors to the OR, and she felt Lisa rubbing her shoulders for comfort.

"You're freezing kid," Chaleen pointed out as she leaned onto Colt a little, nodding as he wrapped his jacket around her small frame. She looked down and realized that she was only in her ring top and pair of baggy sweatpants, causing her to shiver from the cold air. "AJ, don't worry, he's strong. He'll be fine."

"I know. I'm just… I can't believe that happened tonight. He thought he would be okay and I felt something was off the moment he started coughing..." she muttered to them, and then frowned as her eyes glistened with tears. Everyone awed, looking at her nod in understanding. "I just want him to be okay. He's too much of a stubborn bastard not to be."

A smile tugged the corner of Phil's mother's lips as Colt nodded along. "That's the right attitude. We all feel the same way. But let's call Amy and see where she is and if she can get you some clothes alright?" Colt promised as they all headed into the waiting room.

That was when she looked around the half empty hospital that she discovered this was her first time being there since she was attacked almost a year ago. She remembered having Punk by her side and how he said those same comforting worlds. He kissed her before the doctors worked on her and did their test to aid her, and he stayed by her side every day he had the chance afterward.

Being in this hospital just brought back very painful memories of that night, and now she's watching the one person who could help her get through and over it being treated fatally. He was strong enough to be her support line, now she found herself in the reverse role. This is what he must have felt that night, holding onto her life-stilled body, seeing her in all her misery and hoping for something better. All she could do was hope for the same.

* * *

His eyes felt heavy in weight as he tried to open them, and the blurry bright ceiling light didn't help him focus. His head began to hurt from the loud beeping of machines, which followed up the pains shouting from his arms, legs, throat and chest. He also felt the lack of air as he tried to inhale, causing him to cough, which just made the pain worse. In other words, Mark Henry delivering the world Strongest Slam on him would feel about fifty fucking times better than this right now.

He tried to clench his finger, finding comfort in this soft touch of a smaller hand in his tattooed covered one. When he fully opened his eyes, the last thing he saw before he passed out was the first thing he awoke to. No matter how shitty he felt, seeing AJ at that moment, standing next to him and watching him wake up with a smile, did make his heart beat in relief.

AJ started to wince as he tried to move around more. "Shh shh shh shh. Phil, don't move so much." She urged quietly.

"A... J..." he managed to mutter out, but again, even inhaling hurt like hell.

"Hey, dumbass," Colt cheered while leaning over. Punk rolled his eyes with a tight smile as Colt shook his hand. "How ya feeling?"

"Like shit," he replied. "Fuck, I'm thirsty," he exhaled quietly.

AJ reached over the table next to them and poured some ice into a cup. He looked over to see his mother and sister sleeping in a chair, but also noticed how quiet area was, meaning he was in ICU. "Here, you're not allowed drink water for another two hours but the nurse said ice is just as good," AJ informed him. She started rubbing ice over his lips, wetting his them before dropping the cube into his mouth, which felt great to him.

"Where are we?" he staggered out. "Am I still in...the hospital?"

"Yeah, you've been in and out for a while now. You collapsed after your match and had to be rushed in last night."

"Last night?" he asked, eying the clock and seeing the big hand hit four pm. "Wow. I… I can't believe...I slept for so long," he grunted out. "What happened?"

"Well, you had emergency surgery on your lungs and ribs," she explained. "And I know you hate it, but you're on Morphine button. Your sisters helped me curse out the doctors for it so they'll replace it soon as the doctors find at substitute."

"Damn… right," he said with a crooked smile. He just reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb across it.

"Sorry," he muttered out, knowing that the promise he made to be strong kind of backfired after the match. But here she is, standing by his side, hold his hand and feeding him ice cubes. He noticed the date, knowing that is Monday after a huge PPV and it's brought to light how long she might have been by his side. This showed how much their relationship had grown in the last few months and how she set herself apart from everyone else he loves. She had been nothing but good for him and he knew it now more than ever that she's just what he needs, and vice versa.

"Don't be sorry," AJ shook it off as her lips twitched into a smirk. "I'm so proud of you and how great you did in your match."

"Thanks," he muttered.

"I'm just happy you're okay now," she said. "You need to rest up. Everyone will see you after the show or before you get to leave here in the morning."

He nodded lightly as those words just seemed to hit him like a magicians code word. But he caressed her hand gently before saying, "Stay."

"Of course. I'm not going anywhere after tonight."

"Work, you have to…"

"I know, but I'll stay until I have to go. And then I'll be back after that and by your side this whole time. I love you," she promised. She found a space on the bed that wasn't covered in IVs and wires, lying next to him carefully with her head on his shoulders.

He successfully placed a kiss on her on her lips and she met him half way before snuggling with her. "Love you... too..." where his finally words before drifted off to sleep.

As she fell asleep with him, Phil finally felt like breathing without any fear doing so. He hated being in this much pain, but it comes with the job. And having her by his side made some one the pain away.

* * *

That was intense, but things are about to get alot more intense.

With just six chapters left to the end of the story, everyone is working together to keep AJ's life on track. What will happen on that race to a clean happy ending? and what changes will Punk make to keep AJ closer to him. Something big and flashy for her maybe? Huh?

DoubleDee068, Sam CF, Red Foxie and Raiden 519: I love you guys like Jeff Hardy loves facepaint. Thanks to all who have been reviewing. MaizeandBlueKid, Thanks for your awesome beta work and skills. And Love, Honor and Glory is his story. Do check it out before or after Wrestlemania airs tomorrow...where I will be. :-)

I'll see you guys in a few weeks with the final six, till then, enjoy the show from wherever you are and enjoy your night. Besos.


	34. Fighting the Case

I'm back honeys!

I survived Wrestlemania weekend, a crazy night at Raw, and a illness. AND I'M STILL STANDING! But here's another chapter for you all. Surprised me to know that you all missed me enough to send me a update message or two. But I am here to comply.

Be aware of the month jump here, and if you haven't read this story from the BEGINNING, you should do that before you stop here.

* * *

May 1st, 2013, Newark, NJ

"I just had the best match of my career in my home stadium and I watched my boyfriend beat a monster, after which he had to have his ribs essentially be glued back together. I surpassed the Divas on Twitter in followers, I kicked butt with my friends in the ring, and I received the royal Diva's champ treatment in Europe by fans I didn't know I had," AJ said with a tense smile. "I really don't want to deal with this right now."

The events of WrestleMania still lingered for her during a glorious night in New Jersey weeks later. She let it sink in finally that she was champion, and so did the fans. Even overseas, she was shown nothing but respect and hospitality by the international crowd. She was over with everyone and as her Twitter grew with followers, so did her storylines and appearances. During the Raw taping in London, she had the honor of wrestling against Tamina, Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler in a six person intergender tag match to close out Raw, and John Cena and Sheamus were her partners.

Her personal life changed for the better also. Her parents decided to move and take permanent residence in San Juan, Puerto Rico with her other family members, and her sister followed along. Her brother left for his base early with his family, so AJ was the only one left in the US, but she respected their decision to leave. On top of all that, Phil has been recuperating perfectly. There may have been times where he was bored of being at home and off tour, but he and AJ were talking to each other on the phone constantly, communicating at every chance and opportunity; when they woke up, when they had minutes to spare, and before they went to bed every night.

She was happy with Phil and he was with her; even so, Amy was still advising and talking to her, Colt still made her laugh, Kaitlyn and Stephen still humped each other before and after every show and cheered her up on the road, and John was being a big brother and protecting her with Kofi and Daniel not too far behind. Even the recently retired Eve texted her everyday about life as a common citizen after she left the company. Life was, and felt absolutely, great.

With only a week until Extreme Rules in St. Louis, she wanted to head to a gym, prep up and work a strategy that would make her match with Tamina end on a high bar for both of them. And if it wasn't for the news the broke while she was overseas, she'd be doing that or comforting her bed-rested boyfriend before her next show. She wanted to hang out in the warm spring weather with her friends and take weird TwitPics of Nacho sleeping on the belt.

Instead, she was riding in a tint-window black SUV, on her way to the DA's office. Kaitlyn had been with her since they arrived, holding onto her hand as they crossed the streets and lights in Newark.

"I already miss Europe. Let's go back and pretend we didn't get called here from home," AJ begged.

"Hopefully they'll work harder in getting the plea changed," Kaitlyn guessed. "Then we can go home to Tampa, have a sleepover, wear our new onesies, eat cake and sleep in a random format."

"Yeah, cake," AJ said, looking at her phone and watching the stream of tweets, phone calls and texts come in. She rolled her eyes and Kaitlyn. sensing it, just reached out her hand to take the object and put it away. She smiled, happy her best friend knew her well enough to know how much she hated being bothered when stressed.

Once they reached the building, the amount of people in cameras and mics quickly alarmed her, causing the grip on Kaitlyn's hand to tighten. Before she could even go into panic mode, the faces of Hunter and Heyman blocked her view, along with the large amount of police officers and security detail behind them, barricading people from passing.

"Come on, AJ," Kaitlyn tugged, watching her nod while she took her hand and opened the door. Hunter actually shielded the girls as Paul pushed through the crowd for her. She ignored all the questions being shouted her way and just powered through, trying her best not to freak out through the mass and flashing bulbs and shouting press. Successfully, she reached inside, but who she saw checking into security made her heart skip a beat.

"Phil?" AJ said, watching her boyfriend turn around slowly as he left Colt and Amy to finish his paper work. She slowly approached him and touched his body bandages, still seeing the effects of his surgery linger under sweatshirts and jeans. "What are you doing here?"

"We drove all damn night here since I can't fly on aircraft yet," he groaned out, leaning over as he took her hand smiling. "What? I told you that I'm not letting you deal with this alone."

"No, but…you should be resting and relaxing after the days you've had," she suggested.

"Yeah, and so should you." Those words alone finally caused a smile to crack her face. Softly, she leaned into him and hugged his body tenderly, trying not to hurt him in the process.

After he gently kissed her forehead, she felt a hand touch her shoulder and turned, sighing as John and Sheamus both greeted her with soft smiles and hugs. "Thanks for showing up guys."

"We made a promise to you and we're sticking to it," John explained, moving so she could see Daniel entering the building behind him.

"Guys, you all have to sign in and pass security. After that, we can all head up to the offices," Hunter directed, watching everyone get screened and badged before heading into an elevator.

It was deathly silent among the group. AJ looked around seeing everyone involved and everyone who was here for support, knowing they wanted someone to kill the 800-lb.-gorilla-in-the-room question of the day, to give them clarity of why they were all here. It remained that way until they reached the DA's office, waiting for her and David Otunga to come in.

"So, anyone care to explain what the hell is happening?" Paul broke that iceberg as everyone looked his way.

"Well, news broke that Drew's been released since last Monday," AJ said, still not showing much sadness or anger over the news. Everyone tensed up as they listened in, but Phil kept fuming. "During his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to sexual assault without consent. So they granted him bail, posted it and someone bailed him out Monday night." she rambled on while she began rubbing Phil's hand.

"So there's a trial now?" Daniel asked, watching AJ nod. confirming dreadfully.

"This is bullshit, man. This is fucking bullshit!" Punk spat out, shaking his head in anger. "He confessed. He undeniably confessed, and now he gets to take it back?"

"I don't think it's really him. Maybe someone's talking in his ear," Hunter said. "But no matter what, we're fighting this case."

"Good morning, everyone." AJ looked up to see a long hair blonde, standing tall in a green and black skirt suit and red bottom black high heels walk in. Her thick southern accent totally explained the outfit, as well as 'I don't play games' facial expression she was wearing at the moment. If Barbie needed to upgrade her lawyer look, she should take notes from this woman.

"April Mendez, I presume?" AJ slowly stood up and shook her hand, watching her face grow soft instantly, which simply told them she was a southern doll that could became a shark in seconds. "I'm Ashley Meyers, Bergen County District Attorney. I'm glad to meet you dear." AJ nodded as she kept introducing herself to everyone. After shaking the last hand, she opened the door to the conference room.

"I apologize for the mass media outside, but I have to work from here today and sources link even when you put a patch on it." she explained. "I have arranged for the police to lead you to the back way and to secure this floor until you leave the building. You'll have a much quieter exit, I assure you."

"It's okay. Thanks for helping me…us. This whole thing has just tail spinning and I want it to be over," AJ explained honestly.

Ashley smiled as she ushered her in. "With my work, sugarcube, it will be buried. I just want to talk to you and every witness you have for a trial in meeting so we can explain the details."

AJ slowly entered the conference room after she felt Amy and Colt rub her shoulders in support. Kaitlyn kissed Stephen before walking behind John and Daniel. Phil nodded to Heyman as he entered last, slowly sitting next to AJ and holding onto her hand as David and the WWE's corporate lawyers greeted them all.

"Okay. So Ms. Mendez, we spoke about what's happening over the phone but I will just repeat the info for everyone here," Ashley sighed as she stood tall and walked around. "Drew is refusing to accept the charges of sexual assault stacked on him. Everything else, including assault and battery and the illegal purchase of AAS and prohibited drugs in New Jersey, he entered in a guilty plea. In my mind, it's stupidity to cry, 'I didn't do it mom' when clearly, your hands and your clothes match the dirt prints on the floor and carpet," she boasted confidently, managing to make some people in the room agree with the logic.

"So this preliminary hearing is where the judge looks at the evidence stacked against him and decides whether or not this needs to go to trial," David advised.

"What if it's not enough?" Hunter asked.

"Oh, it's enough." Ashley rebutted quickly. "We have way too much to put him away with. We've worked on the evidence kit so we want to show it to you all later. It has all your fingerprint, traces of hair and scar tissues, and things involved in the night; your clothes, your photos, everyone photo taking of you and your injuries. Those things will be used in the trial, along with video footage for the hotel they call 'debatable', the letter he wrote confessing to the crime."

"What about the people involved?" AJ asked.

"We won't really need them until this goes to a jury trial, but they will be identified on the tape as the people who entered the room and found you, prompting the judge to approve the witnesses. The doctor who treated your injuries and did your kit agreed to testify as well." AJ nodded as Meyer sat across from her.

"Now, in your police report Ms. Mendez, you stated that once you opened the door to leave your room, Drew quickly barged in 'looking enraged, dominate and uncommunicative.' You were sure he was under the influence. But he left the room and the door wasn't closed completely."

"Yes," she agreed. "I just remember the door being cracked before going unconscious."

"And you hadn't invited him in correct?" AJ shook her head no. "Did you have any contact with Mr. Galloway before this happened?"

"No, I hadn't talked to him at all. But he was in a really bad state of mind. I mean, he just looked really off and upset, but angered above all."

"You also stated that he's been known to be gentle with women. But never in a threatening matter or sexual manner?"

"If I May speak.." Phil asked, waiting for Meyers to nod before he spoke. "Drew is honestly one of the best guys around. He's humble, giving and very respectful. This is why it shocked us to find out he did this to her. It's not in his character at all. He wrote her a letter, and every word written isn't vengeful or threatening. He's apologizing to her. He's told me and other people how sorry he is about hurting her and that he was in a blacked out state of mind when it happened."

"It baffles me too, but a plea is a plea. He wants a trial, he'll get one. But now, it's war, and we have the nuclear bombs and ammunition to end it all. But… you have a huge turn coat in the army."

That statement alarmed everyone, especially Hunter as he leaned over frowning.

"Meaning what?" Daniel asked.

"The reason I've called for your COO's and your company's legal attendance is because Mr. Galloway's behavior strings to an incident that occurred with him and his former wife and a former employee of the WWE, a Ms. Taryn Terrell." Meyers read on. "According to the report, after Ms. Terrell was arrested for the incident, she was then suspended and soon terminated from the company over a short period of time."

Hunter had to frown before nodding. "Yes. I was still under talent at the time, not a corporate official yet."

"And the president of Talent Relations, Mr. John Hodger Laurinaitis, at the time was the one who made the call, correct?" Ashley asked. Hunter agreed as Ashley passed him another file. "Are you also aware of all the harassment reports from the female workers at the training camp, Florida Championship Wrestling? They occurred from 2008 to 2010, but were never made to corporate level or filed by Mr. Laurinaitis."

Hunter grabbed the file and looked through it, causing everyone to see his frown get more aggressive and his face mold into shock. "These are the divas that were cut from development before I stepped in," he said after reading.

"Now, the incident between Mr. Galloway and Ms. Mendez occurred, and a month later, you and your board members met with Mr. Vincent K. McMahon to debate the future of Ms. Mendez with World Wrestling Entertainment, someone when suggested for Ms. Mendez's termination." Meyers repeated, looking as Hunter nodded. "Who was that?"

"Laurinaitis," Hunter dismayed incredulously, clutching his fist after saying it, finding his corporate role slipping from his mind. "It was his proposal, and his last one as the VP."

"He... wanted me fired?" AJ questioned, feeling Phil's hand squeeze tighter as Meyers nodded.

"Vince didn't listen to it, and just gave you a leave. We wanted things to work out and to have you back to work," Hunter answered.

"I wish you'd caught onto his acts of deception after he made such a rash proposal," Meyers snapped with much attitude as she set up the footage. "Now, Ms. Celeste Bonin, ring name 'Kaitlyn'?" Kaitlyn raised her hand to acknowledge her presence, and Meyers nodded while asking, "You opened the hotel room door with your key, correct?"

Kaitlyn frowned and agreed, "Yeah. It was closed. When I opened the door, I stepped on a lamp that was broken and then I found her. And I screamed. Phil, John, Daniel and Eve heard me."

David coughed uncomfortably as Meyers played the tape for everyone's view. And as everyone leaned in watch, their reactions clearly showed Meyers how right she was.

They all watched as Laurinaitis walk right out of his room moments after Drew left. He then slowly headed next door towards AJ's room, before looking inside... and he didn't move. Nothing. Nada. He didn't even walk in to help her, or even look for his Blackberry to call for anyone to help. He just watched, staring at AJ's prone, battered body for what seemed like an eternity, then closed the door completely, and walked away once people arrived to the floor.

He did literally _nothing _but close the door on her.

Seconds later, they watched Kaitlyn struggle with her bags and find her keys to open the door, then dropping her bags as she stormed in, hysterically screaming for help. Phil could be seen running towards the door with John and Eve in tow, then Daniel leaving a room across the halls to come as well.

AJ bit her lip and tried not to let the leaking tears fall from her eyes. She didn't want to see where this was going, but it was going there. John Laurinaitis was the one person who was against her being a diva from the get go. The man had asked her to get her breasts done when she started out in FCW, just so he could find something to push her with. Her recent push at the time shocked him more than anyone, but she didn't know it upset him _this_ much. Could this really be? Was he against her this much that he would nothing to help her, or even watch her die?

"Along with this, we also have records of Mr. Laurinaitis making sporadic and continuous visits to the Essex County Corrections after the attacks. I also have on very good authority that _he _is the individual that responded to the bail posting, using his company card to do so," David added, making Hunter shake his head in disbelief.

"He's the bee that's been buzzing in Drew's ear, and it's stinging us. The defense will use this against us. He's now a road agent, so he is still with the company. His past faults could very well damage this entire case if it's portrayed that you approved this behavior, and you've waited until now to handle it. A company official assisting a rapist is an _extreme_ case of the pot calling the kettle black here," Meyers explained.

"How could someone be so thoughtless... so _evil_?" Kaitlyn queried with disgust.

"Son of a bitch," Daniel hedged with his fist tightly balled up. John didn't know what to say as he just covered his mouth.

Phil didn't show a reaction either, just staring at AJ, who just let her tear runs down. She closed her eyes once she felt his finger wipe away one lone tear, happy that he was here and calm enough for her when she felt like jumping from the nearest window that was around her, and splatter onto the streets of Newark.

"We need to figure out what to do with him and why he is so involved. He has been sweeping all the harassments under the rug and now, it's shown that he's done nothing to assist in AJ's protection." David stated, watching Hunter nod with his hands folded.

"We will handle it. Trust me. I will be speaking to Vince about how I will handle him personally," Hunter assured.

"Not enough," Meyers yielded, shaking her head while taking back her iPad and looking through it. "I want him barred for the case completely. And if he gets involved, under New Jersey law, he will be arrested and fined for tampering with state evidence. I don't even want him close enough to the courts to even _smell _the pine sole on the goddamn floor," Ashley insisted sternly, receiving a continuous nod from Hunter as she looked to the group.

"Now, I've been informed that all of you have agreed to testify, which is great, because we need all the witnesses we can get. But no speaking to the press or anyone else not involved, under _any_ circumstances. With evidence like this, this trial is a fucking cake walk. After we kick Drew down Chuck Norris style and paint him orange again, you'll be able to live your life like the stunning champ that you are, Ms. Mendez," Meyers reassured with a wink and a click of the mouth. AJ smiled softly as Meyers handed more files to David.

"Anything else we have to discuss here?" Hunter asked.

As Meyers closed her iPad and looked towards the corporate officials, her face remained hard as she said, "Can you all leave for just a few minutes?"

The team frowned, looking at Hunter who nodded in confirmation. Then Meyer waited for the door to slam behind the last one, nodding to David, and watching him lock the door and look out. As she turned to Punk, John and Daniel, a wicked smile crossed her face as she began to speak.

"Seeing as I'm a small town girl that grew up along the deltas of Vickiburg, Mississippi, I've seen boys fist fighting over their issues, then fight together over common issues, especially when it comes to a bastard putting his hands on a little ol' gal."

Meyer leaned over and tilted her head. "Well, I had Mr. Otunga tell Mr. Laurinaitis to arrive here around this time, which means he's out there right now waiting for this to be over. Now, I am a woman of the law, but, without any witnesses around or marks on the victim, I would have no crime to report or a case on hand, do I?"

Phil raised a curious eyebrow as John and Daniel cracked knowing smiles. "Talk to him how you will. You won't be bothered. But, just so you know, the bathroom isn't too far from here and this floor, again, is restricted for the day." They noticed how wide Hunter's smirk changed once Meyer's winked for AJ and said, "Mr. Danielson, would you please be a doll and please check if he has arrived for us?"

"Gladly, ma'am," Daniel accepted as he stood up, tapping Kaitlyn's shoulder for her to follow lead. Once Kaitlyn left with him quietly, AJ took a deep breath.

"Everyone who has hurt you will pay, darling. Mark my words," Meyers promised.

AJ simply nodded and volleyed back with a huge confident smile, "I can't wait for another fight."

"We're sure to get the knock out in all rounds kiddo." Meyer promised once more while packing up her things, receiving nothing but praise from everyone in the room and smiling about it. "Feel free to stay in with Mr. Otunga to discuss anything else, and I will be in the DA's office down the hall."

"Thank you for your time, and for bringing this to light. Ms. Meyers," Hunter praised before turning to everyone. "I will be back in a bit to talk with our lawyers, David. We will need to handle something quickly." Hunter said, loosening his tie completely and taking off a few bottoms from his shirt collar and jacket.

"You know Steph's gonna be unhappy with this," John warned as Hunter lead them out the room, seeing the man in a devil's disguise standing nearby as Kaitlyn stood with Stephen, and Heyman and Daniel talked to Amy and Colt down the halls, likely telling them what was happening.

"I'm not getting my hands dirty. Punk, stay with me." Hunter said, simply shaking his head and pulling AJ closer to Cena. Once he turned AJ away, she nodded to Phil before walking down the halls with Cena, away from the groups as they turned away as well. He then smiled at Laurinaitis faintly and pulled him into a shoulder hug. "Take a walk with me Johnny Ace."

As they entered the empty bathroom, Hunter's smile fell intensely, and Laurinaitis' just looked tense. "John, on behalf of World Wrestling Entertainment, it is my duty to let you know that due to recent uncoverings of circumstantial events… oh, I'll just get right to it: you're fucking fired." Laurinaitis' smile fell immediately at that announcement as Hunter shrugged, "And I don't bother cleaning out your desk. I'll have security do it and send it to you. And Vince won't be able to save your ass this time once I tell him what you've done," Hunter said with his hands folded and before John could question The Game, someone rushed into the bathroom and blurred passed the COO.

With a huge groan and beastly expression on his face, Phil shoved John into the marble walls of the urinal, pinning his arm under his neck and pressed onto his throat. John coughed in displeasure as Phil's fist connected with his gut. When Phil brought him up, Hunter had turned the lock on the door and tucked his hand into his pocket with a careless frown.

"Does this hurt ya, Funkman?" Phil asked sarcastically, punching John again and grabbing him by the tie, making the grip on his neck tighter. "You want someone to help you, don't you? For Hunter to rip me off you as you gasp for air, and then you'd ask for him to fire me, right? You would fucking love it!"

Phil snickered with his teeth bridging his lip ring, happy to see the look of pain and confusion on his face. "What if I did this to a woman, John?" he asked, his hand wiping the sweat from his face as John's eye looked at Paul for help. "Would you just watch me do this, then get rid of her for telling you about it? Huh, would you do that, you sick fuck?"

John just shook his head, which pissed Phil off even more. Two punches later, Phil could see his face turning purple. "You see how hurt you are right now and how no one is helping you or coming to your aid?" Phil leaned closer and added, "That's how it was for her."

John must have caught on; causing his hands to rise defensively to talk, but Phil just shoved him into the wall again. "SHUT UP! Don't lie or I swear, you'll be spitting your fucking teeth out," Phil warned, with his finger pointed in John's face and a scowl on his face.

"You fucking left her for dead. You know that? You heard it happen and you could have stopped it. You could have helped her. You could have helped in keeping Drew in jail." Phil continued, feeling the pain in his ribs come back slowly and ignoring it.

"You did to her exactly what Hunter's doing right now." John passed a pleading look to Hunter, who just chewed his gum and looked at his watch, still not ordering Punk off.

"You did _nothing_. You helped Drew this whole time. You hurt April and now, everyone knows and will know that you're a heartless, cowardly, underachieving sack of tall shit with no morals, no soul, no balls... and no job." Phil said. "You better stay away from her and the case, because you don't want to see what I'll do to you if you don't."

Laurinaitis just looked him in the eyes with a frown, nodding in understanding as Phil just sternly looked his way. Phil really wasn't satisfied with this type of punishment. The woman he loved was now dealing with this bullshit instead of living her life and enjoying the perks of being herself and with him. Everything was the fault of this gutless person he held in his grip right now, as well as Drew's. He was scum to him and everyone else.

After inhaling and hawking it up, Phil blew a slimy spitball out his throat, hitting Laurinaitis right between the eyes. Hunter looked over and watched the now former employee blink in disgust. "Everything up until that was from me."

Phil then lowered his arms and balled his fist on more time, hitting John right directly in the crotch with one hard blow. John groaned in pain, clutching his private and crumbling to the ground at Phil's feet. With a wicked smile Phil bent down and said, "And _that_…was for AJ."

Phil patted his shoulder and stood up, heading for the door and unlocking it. "See you in four weeks, boss." he said to Hunter, who nodded and moved away from the wall.

"I'll have your time card ready!" Hunter yelled back, locking the door again once Punk left the room. "Now, let's talk about your role in this, Johnny."

* * *

Do I add shock value, Or do I add shock value? [I know, I'm too wickedly good for my own good.]

MAJOR thanks to Maizeandbluekid for looking over my errors and making sure I added my periods and verbs. eva505, hemillybeatiz, Raiden519, DoubleDee068, Red Foxie, Sam CF, Maizeandbluekid, Thank you all for making sure I focused enough to update for you.

As far as WM 29 goes, as predictable as it was, attending with such an amazing corwd and my best friends made the exprience, and the diet i have to be on to save for it, ALL worth it. I mean, I have a photo of Randy Orton and I that will never leave my house, my best friend got to meet her dream guy Justin Grabiel, I watched Dolph the WHC the next night win in my homestate, I lost my voice Fandango-ing in the parking lot, and I had a great time meeting people from all over the world. If WM is ever in your town, just go, or attend Axxess. It's truly exciting!

Only 5 chapters until the end of this Punklee journey. Be sure to tell me how you feel about it. :)


	35. Our House Here or There

_It's my birthday...so I'm posting. We'll talk about RAW after I eat Sushi and Blow out my candles. Enjoy it! _

* * *

_Still at the courthouse_

"You did that for me?" AJ asked, sitting in the lobby as they waited to be cleared to leave. "Phil, you could get in trouble for that."

"Doubt it. Not the way it seemed when Hunter watched me do it," Phil assured her. "I'm just more worried about you."

AJ struggled with a side smile. "I don't know how to feel. I've never met someone who hated me. Scripted, sure, but not in real life. It hurts more knowing that he heard me screaming for help and did nothing."

"Don't even think about it. He's just a piece of shit." Phil groaned, rubbing her hand as she shook her head in disbelief. "He's just jealous that someone as small as you is more popular and kickass that he's ever tried to be."

"He left me in danger. And left me alone. Drew was jealous of me too. That's what he said, and look what he did to me," AJ rambled out, shaking her head.

"I know this nightmare is almost over, but what happens after that? Can't I ever just live peacefully or be free? I don't feel scared but after seeing that… I just don't feel safe again."

Phil frowned as she started to tear up and pout, looking away from him as he inched closer. "I made a promise to you, didn't I?" she looked up, tilting a smile once he did. "It will get better, and I'll make sure of it," he told her, watching her nod as she leaned into his shoulders. "So, your family left the states yesterday?"

"Yeah, um, they're all settled in San Juan and Robert left for France early yesterday so, it's just me. I'm here alone."

"Not anymore, you're not. You have us," Phil reminded her.

"Yeah, but I just… I'm just alone in Tampa now. My childhood friends are here. Rose was the one to bother me every few months and my parents visited as well. Now, I'm a lone kid in the US," she surmised, feeling really down about it once he awed.

His lips pressed tenderly her forehead, before saying, "It's for the best April. You know that. And you still have a huge family here." Phil nodded to the group standing by, talking and laughing as they waved over to them. AJ smiled, and then locked eyes with him, showing a happy face finally. "And we love you. We worry about you because we care, not because we feel sorry for you. So we'll stand by you. I love you, and I'll do anything for you."

"Anything?"

Phil nodded, watching her hint her eyes with a smile. "What do you have in mind?"

"Um… well... I was thinking about coming back with you to Chicago," she suggested with a shrug. "If you want me with you, I mean."

His smile widened while he took her hand. "You know you're welcome to join me anytime, Apple Jacks. The sisters will be excited to have you around. So will Colt and Amy… and me," he responded. "Come with me."

AJ nodded, kissing him before she stood up and looked towards Kaitlyn. "I'll talk to Kaitlyn about packing up my gear for Raw."

Phil nodded as he followed her up. He started to think about her dilemma more as she talked to Amy and Kaitlyn, and how right she was. She was alone right now and needed support. She may have had everyone in Tampa as friends, but at home, she was on her own.

It was then that a instantaneous light bulb went off in his head and his eyes turned to Stephen and John. With a tilt of his head, they walked with him towards the opposite side of the halls.

John was a bit skeptic, but Stephen just tugged him along by force, stopping as Phil turned them with a stressed face. "She's coming back with me," he declared.

"I know, we heard her tell the girls," John answered in return. "So what's up?"

"Well... I, uh…I have this thought in my head, and… normally I don't need an opinion that's not my own," he murmured. As the guys raised eyebrows, he sighed and confessed, "But I need help from you two."

"You need help?" Stephen repeated with a light chuckle.

"From us?" John asked with a frown of his own.

"Yeah, I need an eye on something. Something for AJ."

* * *

_May 2__nd__, 2013 Chicago, IL_

"…He's serious?" Chez asked as Chaleen showed her the text she received from her brother.

"We've already made Colt keep him away from his own house. And I've never seen him act so cheesy about a woman before. It's actually kinda freaking me out," she added as the two of them walked off the balcony of Punk's house and back down the stairs, smelling some of the cooking being done by AJ.

"Oh, c'mon, this is sweet of them. They just want to be alone and get away from all the crap. We just have to hang out with her for a bit and help her feel more at home until he comes back," Chaleen beamed as Chez casually shrugged.

"Well, then I guess _'Operation: Happy AJ' _is in full effect," Chez relented as they watched AJ and Amy work in the kitchen over a stove. "All done in the bathroom, bedroom is set up and his man cave is clean. How's it going in here?"

"It's great. AJ is quite the little Masterchef," Amy complimented, causing AJ to blush as she continued to work.

"I brought everything you guys said yes too in the Whole Foods store and the shop, and that's when I saw the bill." She scoffed as Chaleen winced. "I didn't know it cost this much to be healthy and eat."

"I handled it so stop looking at those," Chez said as she snatched the receipt with a smile. "Well, Punk did but we made sure to say yes to all of it."

AJ frowned with a smile. "Thanks for coming out with me, and helping me as well guys. I really needed a day out."

"Aw, anything for you, dear," Amy teased as AJ simply rolled her eyes, eventually giving in and laughing with them as they kept working in the kitchen. She was having a great day with them working out, eating and shopping in Chicagoland. She loved walking around the big city and taking in the sights and sounds, and doing it with the new people in her life made it even better. Now, she was making sure her boyfriend felt the same way in his own home.

"Amy, question?" AJ asked with her eyes focused on mixing ingredients together for her dinner dish.

"Answer," Amy returned back sarcastically, smiling as she picked up her glass of Vitamin Water (composed of AJ's recipe, which tasted amazing) to drink. "Just kidding, what's up?"

"How long have you and Colt been having sex?"

Chez gasped as Amy almost choked on her drink, sputtering and coughing into her glass, and looked to AJ with a shocked expression. "And don't deny it because the quick kiss is on surveillance camera from when you two arrived this morning," AJ added as she smiled knowingly and a stirring spoon waving her way.

"Oh my god, I totally called that!" Chaleen yelled to Chez as Amy mugged a mean glare towards AJ's direction. "I told you. They almost kissed during the party, but then Ames made this awkward face and Colt stopped himself and got nervous, and kissed her cheek instead..."

"Alright, alright! We've been dating since New Years!" Amy snapped. After AJ raised a curious eyebrow, Amy began to slowly spill the beans while smiling warmly. "He talked me out of hating Punk after our fight in September so…" she paused briefly and with a sigh, she said, "Yes, we are in the stages of developing a relationship."

Chez and Chaleen squealed gleefully as AJ smiled knowingly, happy and proud that Amy had found someone to call her own again.

"But like AJ was saying, you two had sex yet?" Chez asked, causing Amy to snort.

"Classified info, my friend," she answered with a bright smile.

"Well, why didn't you tell me or Punk?" AJ queried with a slight pout.

"Trust me, you know I absolutely suck at keeping secrets. But Colt and I wanted you and Punk to be okay before springing this on him," Amy retorted. "That and we're just testing waters and having fun."

"Yeah, that means they're doing the nasty," Chaleen snidely cracked as Chez just snickered with her.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm really happy for you Amy. And at least Colt isn't afraid to hurt you and likes to be around you with his boner on," AJ started to compliment, then wincing as she realized the statement didn't stay in her head.

"We heard that, genius," Amy confirmed with a stern eye. AJ stopped mixing as they all looked her way. "We didn't think you were ready to take that step yet."

AJ shook her head with a weak smile. "Honestly, I don't know how I feel about being intimate with anyone again, since the person I should be intimate with doesn't try," she sighed out with a roll of her eyes.

"Listen, AJ. Besides the fact that the doctors banned him from getting laid since he's not fully healed yet, he just respects you way too much to force you," Amy assured.

"You were found battered by Punk, and since then, he lays next to you and holds you no matter how small or big the bed is. Technically, he's been sleeping with you for months," Chaleen explained.

"And he became your supportive friend, you started trusting in him while he's put trust in you, and then you two fell in love. You two broke up due to past issues and problems, but you fixed them up correctly and now, you two are together," Amy explained, watching AJ nod softly as a sigh of understanding escaped her lips. "Sounds a little traditional to me, sweetie."

AJ turned to the women with a nonchalant expression. "I guess so. But, I'm afraid to actually have him take care of me. I don't ask for him for anything, yet he keeps giving me everything and anything I should want. I'm just not used to it."

"The only thing Punk wants from you is a smile on your face every day," Chaleen assured, having Amy agree with a simple nod.

After reasoning with the right voices, AJ broke into a smile and appeared to lighten up. "You're right. I guess I do need to relax."

"You're willing to compromise for him. There's some traditional relationship behavior," Amy described. "As for the intimacy issues, you need to make it a little more clear when you're alone with him if you want be closer to him."

"Meaning?" AJ pondered.

"Sounds to me that AJ needs to get a little _flir-tay_," Chaleen teased, causing Chez and Amy to giggle, and for AJ to just cover her face shyly. "Just do something teasing and hot, but sentimental to him. I'm sure he'll love it and he'll see you're not shy about it."

"I'll try it, and we'll just see what happens." AJ conveyed with a shrug. "Now enough relationship talks. I need to frost cupcakes, and get dinner into the oven before they get back. By the way, have they talked to you? Phil hasn't texted me all day since he left with Colt," AJ noticed as they all headed to the table.

They remained silent until Chaleen started sighing. Chez looked at her sister with warning as Amy twisted her mouth together in confusion. "I can't help it," Chaleen moaned as she pouted. "It's so Romeo and Juliet….only Romeo's a bit of a jerk."

"What's going on?" AJ demanded as Chez rolled her eyes.

"Well, Phil just has a super awesome gift for you so tonight, so we won't be joining you." Chaleen confessed as AJ just frowned. "We've been helping you out so that makes up for things, right?"

"No, it absolutely _doesn't_," AJ bluntly replied as she folded her arms, clearly confused. "What is he planning?"

* * *

_Same Day - Tampa, FL_

Kaitlyn loves Mexican food.

She _really _loves Mexican food. Everyone knows she does and Stephen has witnessed before the beaming, moaning and pleasurable noises made whenever the waffling aroma of this particular cuisine assaults her senses, tickling her nostrils and invading her taste buds. It's a weakness that she'll never give up and will always give into.

This bit of information influenced Stephen's culinary choice as he decided to pick up dinner on his way to meeting her, picking her up from AJ's house where she spent the last hour cleaning up, tending to Nacho and packing AJ's best clothes under her direction before sending it with John for her Raw house show weekend and signings. And after all the bad news they received yesterday, he knew it would cheer her up.

"Hey love," she greeted once she opened the front door, kissing him as he stepped in, and laughing at Nacho's barks of excitement. "Sorry we couldn't go out. I was wrapped up here and Nacho waited to take a run so we went."

"That's fine with me, lass. I just don't want you to starve yourself," Stephen said concernly as he sat with her at the kitchen, watching Kaitlyn breathe in and moan at the particular editable items that were in sight.

"Quesadillas and hard shell fish tacos," Kaitlyn reviewed as he smiled to her back. She gasped at the last sugary surprise in the bag. "And chocolate dipped churros." She smiled his way before kissing him once more.

"I'm the luckiest girl in the world," the two-toned buff babe swooned. Stephen merely chuckled as she started to eat. "So how was your day with John? What did you guys do?" was her muffled question as her mouth was full.

Stephen frowned. "Nothing really," he answered. "We just ran an errand… for someone."

"You're lying." Kaitlyn analyzed, as she placed her elbow on the table with a bright smile and her food near her lips. "You're too noble to be a liar. Spill it."

"Well… you're her best mate, so what are the chances of AJ… moving in with Punk?" Stephen asked, which in turn was met with Kaitlyn merely laughing away as if it were a ridiculous notion. Stephen frowned slightly, not quite liking the reaction she had to his question..

"Doubt it. AJ's still a prude. She'll want to have a Hall of Famer ring first before a wedding band and the house on the hill. Her mama didn't raise no fool and she has dreams as big as Texas," Kaitlyn informed as she ate. "She's not going to move to Chicago when her life is here now in Florida, but who knows? Maybe she'll fly back and forth until he's better. Besides, Punk… well, he's just not going to leave his hometown."

"For love, he might," Stephen retorted with a shrug. "I mean, the lad has 'Romance' tatted on his fingers. And he's hell bent on keeping her safe, which means he's going to do what he needs to."

Kaitlyn thought her ears were playing tricks on her, but as Stephen just kept a straight face, she frowned amusing his way and chuckled at his words. "What's he trying to do? Move her to Chicago?"

"No," Stephen answered quickly, causing Kaitlyn to raise her eyebrow. "Seriously, he's not. And John and I just hung out today."

Kaitlyn nodded to her boyfriend smiling. "By the way, thanks for staying down here in Tampa. I just… I wouldn't have gotten much sleep if you hadn't stayed."

"Anytime, _álainn_," he said lovingly with his hand on hers. "Anytime. I'll stay if you want me too."

"For as long as you want… or until I annoy you," she expressed shyly. His face lit up right after that. "I'm saying that you can stick around longer. I mean, if you want to leave some clothes in the drawer or your toothbrush in the bathroom, that's on you. I only have one bedroom here so… it's your call," was what she said as she finished rambling nervously.

"I guess I'll have to buy a toothbrush then," he cajoled with a wolfish grin, causing her to blush while eating.

Kaitlyn would soon feel her phone ring as she kept eating, opening the stream of text messages coming her way with a frown. "AJ is freaking out." She said as she read the text. "And... oh, wow."

"What?"

"Well, she's at the house cooking dinner and Punk has something planned for her. No one will tell her what it is." Kaitlyn admonished.

Stephen did nothing more but chuckle knowingly before biting back into his food. "Well then, lass. I guess we're about to find out soon enough."

* * *

_Back in Chicago_

When AJ heard the door open behind her, she took a deep breath while adjusting the plates on the counter kitchen island. She was nervous tonight. Why? Because she and Phil we're having dinner in his house... _alone_. Oh, but it was nothing to be stressful about; they would just merely eat in silence with no troubles, even if they were just by their lonesomes with sexual tension making their air thick. Surely, she doesn't have that much to worry about, right? "If only it were that easy..." she muttered to herself.

The large bouquet of pink, red and yellow tall Sunflowers in his way that welcomed her her sight as soon as she turned, however, made her smile. She quickly rushed over to him and picked them up slowly to walk with them. "Phil, what is this?"

"Hey there, shorty," Phil greeted as he entered into the kitchen, and immediately noticed AJ, who was dressed in a pair of black biker shorts, a white tank top and an apron. He walked over with a smile to give her a soft kiss. "Wow. You look great."

"No, I look sweaty," she maintained in a self-deprecating manner while he looked at all the candle-lite arrangements in the kitchen. "I just got dinner ready."

He raised an eyebrow at her words. "Dinner? You made dinner?"

"Yeah, I stole one of the cookbooks and actually found this Baked Spinach Shells Pasta recipe and other foods we could eat for comfort. I made even baked a variety of cupcakes."

Phil's eyes locked on the tall tower of sweets, causing him to moan in anticipation at the delectable morsels. AJ merely giggled at him; she could see her work has paid off so far. "We've had a hard day. So I thought we could have some home cooked food before I whip your ass in a video game or watch a movie," she added.

"You did all of this just for me?" Phil asked with a huge excited smile on his face.

Smiling back, she replied, "Yes. Oh, and I was hungry." After she placed her daisies on the counter and smiled, he scoffed brightly.

"I like this idea," he expressed positively while slowly taking a seat.

"That's good. Oh and…" AJ took his phone from his hoodie and waved it around. "You're not going to need this." She caught his look of disapproval as she turned it off and tucking it in her pocket.

"AJ…" He reached over for it, only to feel the burn in his newly wrapped ribs. "No fooling around, we need those."

"Phil," she sternly said back, rubbing her thumb across his chin as he looked into her eyes. "I want to get away from all the drama and bullshit. This is one way of doing so," she reasoned.

Helpless to her way of charm, he just shrugged and watched AJ place their phones up in an unreachable place. "Alright, fine," he grumbled with a smile.

"Awesome," she pointed to him with a huge smile. "So, soup and salad comes first."

When AJ finished setting up the food, she placed the bowl on the counter proudly. She found Phil watching her with a huge grin once she turned around to look. This automatically made her self-conscious. "What's wrong?"

He huffed out a laugh with a shrug and said, "You just look… beautiful just standing here, in my kitchen cooking." He saw her lower her head, trying to hide her shy smile, and he quickly corrected his words. "And no, that statement wasn't a part of some elaborate scheme to make you stay with me."

"Okay," she said. _'It's working even if you aren't trying…'_ she thought before turning back to the sink. As the warm water followed to her hands, she could feel him inching closer to her, his breath huffing softly on the exposed back of her neck. Once his broad lean chest pressed onto her back, it was easy for his ink covered hands to cover her smaller ones.

"But I really wish you would," he confessed in a whispered tone against her head. He caressed her hands to wash them clean, and she could feel him literally breathing into her. If it was anyone else, she'd shudder in fear and run. But he has been holding her this way since day one. It felt so amazing being this close to him. "Unless you can't control yourself around me, I understand why you won't."

And even with his cockiness boasting out to almost ruin a romantic moment, she still felt right about being in his embrace. He slowly turned her around as she snickered brightly. As his hands traced her face, she kept her smile still for him and said, "Don't flatter yourself sweetcheeks."

A chuckle carefully erupted from his gut as she moved away. "I'm going to get changed and refreshed for dinner," she stated as she pointed upstairs, watching Phil nod in understanding.

"Just don't take too long!" He yelled as she ran up the stairs. As she entered his bedroom, she flipped the huge shopping bags over and dug through, remembering all the bras and undies she purchased and trying to think of what to do in reference to being sexy. She might just fall flat on her face with doing this, but she just needed to try.

After a shower, she placed the matching red bra and boy shorts and massaged her strawberry lotion on hastily, checking her hair and her makeup. But then she looked towards his closet, walking in and seeing his T-shirts folded on a bench.

His Avengers tee, which looked faded and outdated with all the washes it went through, was one of his favorites to wear out. Her eyebrow rose curiously as she picked it up, knowing she could give it another reason for it to be one of his favorites.

* * *

"AJ, come on, I don't mean to rush, but I'm starving!" Phil yelled while sneaking a bite of the salad. The taste of her creation made him smile and moan. He loved this. Earlier, he stood back from his place against the countertop, watching her as if she was home cooking. It was nice to see her smiling and laughing in his kitchen. This wasn't weird at all to him, though it's something you do with your wife or a family. Naturally, it was like she belonged there, in his home and with him.

The sounds of running footsteps were made, indicating her soon arrival, and when she entered, he was sitting comfortably in his chair at the table, continuing to look at the food set up with his arms open, proud of the work done. "You did a wonderful job," he praised. "This tastes great!"

"It definitely smells amazing," she agreed, taking a seat at the kitchen island as Phil finally looked at her. AJ leaned into her set up and took a smell as well, smiling with her face up.

He eyed the shirt she was wearing with red cotton spandex shorts. It was tied to the right to keep the shirt to her waist. He didn't care that it was his favorite shirt or that he was planning to wear that to a media interview in two days. He loved the woman wearing it proudly... and secretly, this particular sight was _really_ turning him on.

"So, aren't you going to join me?" she asked while adjusting her outfit, lifting the material higher across her toned stomach, exposing her belly button. She was smiling, which only indicated that she knew exactly what she was doing. She shrugged however, as if it was normal of her to be in this state of dress. "What?"

"I don't know," he snorted out as well, walking around the island and pulling up a chair next to hers to sit. "Seeing you in my clothes.." he added while pointing to the shirt. "All in all this is awesome."

With her head bowed and lips curved, she nodded before looking up once more. "I couldn't agree more." She turned her chair to face him, keeping her smooth toned legs in his view as he did the same. She reached for the glass of water and ice with him before saying, "Here's to us just being awesome together," she toasted, clicking glasses with him and never tearing her eyes way as he nodded.

While they ate, the tension building in a sexual manner was beginning to drive him crazy. The moaning she did after every bite, the snickers in her cute, awkwardly way after every joke, the slight footsie action as her smooth pedicured toes rubbed against his legs, and at one point, she reached over and help wipe the cheese from his chin. This was all turning him on and he was starting to think that it was what she was aiming for.

After eating what they could, AJ brought over the cupcakes she created and rejoined him. "This is really fun," he expressed once she sat down.

"Were you expecting anything less than that?" she asked while exposing the first one with a fork.

"Not at all, I'm just still baffled that it's with you," he rambled, causing her to frown a little.

"I can see myself doing this with you," she said confidently. "After long days on the road, we get in, shut the phones off, make something or go out somewhere and just enjoy each other company."

He looked her way with a huge grin and could see the red blush itch across her face. "Oh… you see the same thing after all?"

"Maybe I do," she confessed. "Maybe I just feel welcome enough around here to stay," she added while dipping her fingers into a red velvet cupcake frosting, and then reaching across to feed it to him. He just nodded, leaning over to take the sweets in, from the cupcake and her fingers.

"Well," he started before eating, "Are you thinking about joining me here in the Windy City?" He tapped her nose with his finger as she snickered, smiling as she took a bite of the cupcake as well.

"I did love hanging out here with your friends and your sisters. But I like training back in Tampa and with NXT more. With my family gone and all the people we know there, my life has grown there as well as here. It's home."

"So, get a house."

"I'm only a diva in the WWE, not a male with twenty title wins under his notch," she tried to reason. "My salary isn't that luxurious. I can't afford to have a house alone." She licked her lips as Phil passed her another cupcake to eat.

"I know you can't."

"So why bring it up?"

"Because getting it with me would make the rent easy for you," he stated. He saw her brows crease in confusion as he smirked brightly. "If you don't want to move to Chicago, that's okay. But I can't let you stay alone in Florida. I won't allow it."

Her frown turned into a less serious one and he could see her eyes gleam with tears when she stopped eating, allowing him to pull the chair closer and his hands to rest alongside her way as he stood up. After digging in his pocket, a set of red and green keys flashed her view as he pressed it into her hands.

"If you don't want to be there, you'll always have a place here. Whether I'm here or not, you have a place. So here are the keys to it," he assured while looking into her shocked eyes softly.

He could feel his heart race as he made his request clear. "But think about this offer: for the time being, I'll stay down in Tampa… if you move in with me."

* * *

As soon as he offered that deal to her, she literally felt herself lose control on her emotions. She just stared at him and into his eyes with her breath caught completely in her throat as he smiled. This gentle, generous and considerate side of him never ceased to amaze her. When he did things like this, it made her realize how much her luck had really turned around, and it just increased the burning desire she felt for him.

The anticipation and electricity between them exploded after a few moments of silence. He was waiting for an answer and he got it as soon as she attacked his lips passionately. He didn't pull back as she hopped out the chair, but just so he could carefully pull her towards him.

He moaned as she kept kissing him, letting tongues danced in the heat of the moment. He tried not to wince from the pain beyond his ribs, caressing her body as he reached for his (hers, for now) shirt.

"AJ..." he groaned while pulling away briefly from her for the moment. She covered her mouth giddily, surprised in her reaction as he chuckled lightly.

AJ bit her lip softly as he pulled up her chair to sit back down for a serious chat. "You'd move there for me?" She had to repeat the suggestion just to see if this was actually a reality.

Punk's head slightly tilted to the side as he said, "Well, moving completely to Florida is a bit much, but I don't mind coming down there during an off week when you want me with you, and I would like to have our own space to stay in when I'm there. "

"But you love it here." AJ reasoned with a slight frown. "This is your home and you do a lot here… I can't make you leave because I'm too scared to sleep alone at night."

"I'm not leaving completely, just until this crap with Drew blows over… and then some."

"Then some?" she snickered out.

"I mean, I can't be here all the time. I should get out more and out of state sometimes. A summer in the Wrestler town, Florida sound great to me, and I get to bother the NXT kids as much as I want. Maybe hurl a balloon filled with piss at John's house once in awhile," he contemplated, nodding as she just raised her eyebrow with concern and amusement. Her giggles right after that just made him feel awkward. "Don't look at me like I'm crazy, woman. I'm really trying to make things work for us."

"You already have," she retorted. Her hand smoothed over his thick stubbly cheeks, massaging them playfully as she puckered up her lips. "You are the most beautiful, romantic, and selfless man I have ever met and even though you tend to be a self-righteous prick just for kicks and you've felt like you've missed up along the way, I still feel safe with you," she confessed with a bright smile, shrugging as he nodded in agreement as well.

"And you've made these last couple of months so much better for me. Not to steal your catchphrase, but I feel I'm the best in the world whenever I'm around you." He awed at her statement before she placed a kiss on his lips. "You're just trying to make me feel better when things are crappy and I appreciate it all. And I love you for it."

"I love you as well Apple Jacks," he responded while pulling her into a hug. After he kissed her cheeks repeatedly, he quickly stated, "But I'm still getting the house."

"You're not doing that," she stubbornly chided while laughing with him.

"I am going to buy a space in Florida for me to stay in when I follow you home," he repeated, nodding confidently as she scoffed. "I'm doing it. And I want you moving in with me."

"Phil…" she moaned, pouting with him to reconsider, but failing as he just kissed her neck.

"April…" he muttered into her neck before nipping around her ears. "Let's do this." He pulled her closer by her hips, pulling at the shirt to massage her hips softly. She didn't want him to win this argument, nor did she want to agree to have his name and her name on a lease.

But his fingers felt so good on her skin, especially because his touch is the only touch she had been feeling. He knew it was distracting, and that it was his affectionate way of getting his way and spoiling her royally until she's happy. But no matter how much he kissed her or spoiled her with it, she had to stand her ground and be mature about this proposition.

No matter how amazing his kisses were and how his hands felt, she had to take his hands down and pull herself away from him to look him in the eyes and say, "I will think about it and give you an answer in a week."

"A week?" he groaned, tilting his head back as she smiled. "We could have a nice house in Gator town by the time you land."

"I know. Phil, I just want to make sure we're doing this for all the right reasons, not because we're afraid of someone. As great as it would be to live with you, whether it's here or in Florida, I want us to do what's right for us, me and you only," she urged.

The look on his face didn't look pleasant, but she had to stick to her guns about this. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Phil's head bobbed around with a smile, a sign that they were coming to an understanding about a major issue.

"Okay. But just think about it," he somewhat pleaded, rubbing her arms as she leaned in for more hugging. The light chuckle left his throat after she rained kisses on his cheer. "You take all the time you need. We'll figure everything out. But you'll have to tell John and Sheamo that because they've been house hunting for us."

AJ's eyes went wide but she accompanied it with a huge smile. "You actually got John to do you a favor?" she snickered out. "Oh, you are in love with me head over." She said while shaking her head laughing, watching him wink his eyebrows. "OK, then. So, now that we've settled something… and we have this place all to ourselves…" she hinted.

"I know," he nodded with her as he smiled. "So, this may sound a little high school…. but I'm sure it still feels like that for you with the height and all…." She shoved him lightly before he pulled her close again. "Wanna make out?"

"Absolutely," she lowly told him with a warm smile as her lips met his, turning herself as she walked over to the couch with him.

* * *

Punk is moving to Tampa...Whaaaaaaatttttttt?

I know, it's a bit far fetched, like Punk would ever leave Chicago right? But The Things You Do for Love can range from Crazy to Outrageous. I Hope you like this Chapter. It was pretty lengthy.

With only 4 chapters left, will AJ and Punk find a house with a red door, and how does AJ really feel about Drew? What will she do about it. Read on and find out.

ConchaaRex, White Firebird [Finally, you've joined the madness! lol],Red Foxie, xLifeFullOfLaughterx, eva505, ghunter182003, and Raiden519 thank you for helping and reviewing this chapter. Maize, *kisses* thanks for the help! And I will talk to you all after I eat cake.

Besos*


	36. A House is Now a Home Pt 1

"Phil, you've only been clear for three days. Please don't do that," AJ warned as Phil opened the door of their SUV, laughing as he scooped her up by the waist and under the knees, and carried her out the car. "Do you really have to pick me up like that every time I have to get out the car?" she asked with a giggle.

AJ knew how excited he was to be with her in Tampa and to finally move into the house they approved of a week prior. While she was on tour, he set everything up, partly with Amy and Colt's assistance, and moved their stuff in. He was happy to be able to get on a plane and fly out, without any bandages on his ribs or scars on his body from his injury. She's reviled his okay and calm demeanor and relaxed attitude. However, the amount of times he did heavy lifting and AJ lifting since he arrived in Florida really annoyed and entertained her.

"I thought this was on the perfect boyfriend list or something?" Phil wondered aloud playfully with feign innocence in his voice, carrying AJ up a walkway and placing her down, facing a front door with a smile.

"Then why did you put me down?" she asked shrugging, watching Phil pat himself down with a slight frown.

After digging around, he chuckled and took out a set of keys. He leaned over her head, jiggled them around and said, "To fetch the keys for our home, my dear."

"But we haven't finished moving in yet," she pointed out.

"That translates to our soon-to-be _second _home," he corrected, causing her to titter briefly. "But, it's our home nonetheless." He moaned happily as she stood up tall to kiss him. He took the keys, opened the door and modeled proudly with a "Ta-da!" as she stepped in, almost taken aback by the landscape of it.

"Wow, this is so huge… and it feels like a beach house," AJ teased.

"Told you," Phil agreed, walking with her as she slowly looked around. "The furniture's done and everything's all cleaned up. I brought all the utilities and food we need to survive, and the master bedroom, kitchen, bathrooms and the pool patio are all set up. So, all you have to do is move the rest of your stuff in," he explained.

She eyed everything in silence and with a smile. From the updated appliances, new furniture, and polished flooring, to the huge master bedroom and large bedrooms upstairs, the look of it all left her speechless. That made Phil nervous. She said yes a week ago, and signed the lease with her just a few short days thereafter. Due to the safety, the outside landscape, and the design, it was deemed the best pick for them. In general, this place was amazing for a newly built house. She had only been eying photos and videos and everyone who saw this house (mostly Nacho) loved the open environment.

As they reached outside and stood by the pool, which was shielded by a screened glass and gave a great view of tree filled backyard and a tall white fence, she finally nodded and squealed, "Yep, I still love it."

Phil just held his hands up, laughing as she hugged him tightly. "I mean, for a house in Tampa, Florida, surprisingly, this is nice. I can see myself relaxing here," he added, trying not to seem too excited about the place. "But yeah, this will work."

"It's home," she stated, almost sounding shocked over the idea. She was still in shock over him willing to move down into a house with her. But here he was, walking into one with her.

"Yep," was his short reply agreeing with her, as he pulled her close and kissing her gently, sealing the deal as she moaned thoughtfully. "So now, we're eighty percent complete and we can sleep in our new place tonight," Phil concluded.

"I cleaned up and dropped off the keys this morning so we should be okay. Kaitlyn picked up my last mail and I got rid all the stuff you called too 'girly'," she mentioned, air-quoting the aforementioned feminine word with her eyes rolled. "What are we doing with the space near the kitchen?"

"Well, that area can be a hangout with all our games, comics and movies to entertain guest, sort of like a man cave," Phil suggested as they kept walking around, holding hands casually. He then nodded to the huge space and called out hypothetically, "The bonus rooms can be the guest room; that way, Kofi and your brother can have more room to battle should they need too."

"Agreed," AJ hummed out with a smirk over the ensuing battles for supremacy Kofi and Robert would be having over the room in due time. "Oh, by the way, Nacho needs a bedroom."

Phil raised his brows at her skeptically with a laugh. "Seriously? He sleeps with you every night. Why does he need a room?"

"He's already upset that you're the other man in my life. Do you really want him to sleep in the bed with us now that you live here?" she volleyed back.

Phil just groaned at the thought of Nacho cock-blocking his sleep in time with AJ. Back then, he allowed it, but after this move, it's not gonna happen. If a bedroom for the _other_ man in April's life would put a stop to it, then so be it. "Okay, we'll buy him a huge dog bed, a playhouse and tons of toys," he relented exasperatingly, causing AJ to bounce up and down happily, clapping her hands together in a giddy manner. Phil merely rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face, no doubt caused by her infectious behavior. "Surely he won't miss you after I set up his royal lyre."

They continued to look around the house, getting a visual of what else they needed to place where and what to buy, and once they finally approached the last and fourth empty bedroom, a medium sized room with a small walk in closet and another bath attached to it, they stopped. Looking at the empty space, Phil looked down at AJ and thought of what she brought to his attention earlier.

"You know...this room would be pretty commendable to Nacho's needs," he murmured thoughtfully to AJ with his arms folded.

"Yeah, and Nacho doesn't really need a toilet or shower. He likes his baths the old bucket way," AJ agreed, twisting her lips to the side as he nodded. After tilting her head, she sighed. "You really don't mind if I do it, do you?"

He sighed as well. "No, I mean…I just know that I'm going to be the Scott Discik to your weirdo Kourtney and Khloe relationship."

"Oh, please, don't worry about that. You're not as douchy as he is…and I'm not having a baby anytime soon," she added as he agreed. "And she's not that crazy. She's really to herself, quiet, and she'll hardly be here since she's got friends and will have a job here. I just…I need her here right now. She's the other half. You are putting into this, so I'm asking you."

"Well, I mean, we do need a house sitter. And since she's an awesome cook that taught you well," Phil teased then smiled at AJ as she giggled. "Ask her and see what she says so we can put her on the paperwork."

AJ nodded, taking his hand as they headed downstairs. "So, we should call the crew and see where they are with the U-Haul," she suggested.

"Wow. Man...we're kinda…going forward with this, huh?" he asked, rubbing his neck with a nervous smile. "It's scary and awesome at the same time."

"You said it best. But at least were happy," AJ retorted, smiling as he just hugged her, picking her up and spinning her around in the foyer, making her squeal and laugh happily, and showing how happy they were about to be with this noteworthy step being taken with a huge leap of faith.

* * *

"So, you're happy about this house? It's quite lovely here and the neighborhood seems safe," Layla asked as she helped AJ unpack her clothing, hanging them, folding them, and setting up her Converses by carefully placing them on the shelves. AJ worked on Phil's closet space as Kaitlyn stood in the room, setting up the bed with new sheets and furnishings.

"Yeah. I was going to move out anyway, but now that Phil's around and bought this house, I'm not alone. I'm very happy."

"And you're sure you've thought this through?" Kaitlyn stressed, smiling as AJ rolled her eyes her way. "What? I'm a bestie. I have to annoy you with all the questions."

"I'm sure. And I know your couch is always free just in case I lose my temper," she teased, placing the last of his clothes in the closet as Layla laid the final pair of shoes down. Sighing deeply, her smile remained bright. "But hopefully, when this case is all done, we can move forward with our relationship positively," AJ assured as the girls agreed happily.

"It's already looking good. I mean, he's been making every man step up their love game." Kaitlyn complimented as she beamed with high shoulders. "Except for Stephen," she added in sneakily, making AJ giggle and Layla smile. "No one can beat Sheamus and his solid heart of gold."

"That's not the only 'solid' thing you love on him," AJ quipped with her smile wide, laughing with Layla as she dodged a pillow from Kaitlyn flying her way. "But I agree." AJ acknowledged. "After my last visit to Chicago, our relationship has shifted in a more…_mature_ direction."

Layla gasped playfully as the smile on AJ's lips turned bashful. "Wait, that smile tells me you two lovebirds did way more than dinner and a movie. Tell me more," Layla interjected.

"No, nothing's happened with us doing that." AJ rejected, leaning over with a nonchalant frown. "But I do want to talk to you two about something that's really serious for us," AJ confessed, causing Kaitlyn to hum in interest as Layla inched closer to her, knowing she wanted to keep her busy out of the lurking sources ear.

Without looking at them, she sighed deeply, and spoke up. "I've been having these nightmares lately that me and all of you, someway or how, are in it. And in the end, I always see Drew," AJ whispered, clearing her throat as the thought of her last one came to mind. "He's not hurting me, or touching me. He doesn't even look my way in the dream this time."

The girls looked concerned and speechless as AJ just shook her head. "And in every dream, it ends with Drew asking me or begging me to talk to him."

"Talk to him?" Layla repeated, trying to get clarity of her thinking for the girls. "As in, 'go and talk to him' talk to him?"

"As in meeting with him face to face?" Kaitlyn asked, raising her eyebrows with wonder as AJ just shrugged. "You can't be serious."

"Phil said the same thing, but I told him I think it will help me move on if I did say something to him. Maybe if I do, no one would be so worried about us. Phil and I can start to live a little more fearlessly as well."

Kaitlyn scoffed at the logic. "Oh, I see; so seeing your attacker, the man that raped you and almost killed you, is what will determine your sanity?" she snapped.

"In a way…yes," AJ answered.

"That's not exactly a bad idea…" Layla started, raising her hand up once she saw Kaitlyn glare with attitude. "But I don't think you should try and do it alone."

"I know. I told Punk and he didn't really tell me no. So I'm going to talk to David and Meyers about what I can do," AJ responded.

Kaitlyn and Layla didn't want to go into any more detail over the news, but they were just as involved in it as AJ was. They were concerned over their friend's well-being, in more ways than one. "I don't think you should do it," Kaitlyn expressed with a stern look to her face.

AJ sighed as she sat back against her wall. "Kait, I think I should at least…write him and tell him how I feel, just like he did with the letter."

"I think you should tell him fuck off and burn in hell when he gets there." she snapped. "AJ, he's going to jail after he loses. That's it. Let it go and let him fucking rot in there. He doesn't deserve your kindness, especially after what he did to you."

"Don't you want me to move on?" AJ asked, feeling upset that the one person who should support her the most wasn't doing so.

"Yes, I do, you know that better than anyone. But I really don't want you to just back down on him or fall for his fake sympathy or sorrow or any of that bullshit."

"You don't think he's sorry at all, hun?" Layla queried.

Kaitlyn just rolled her eyes and stopped packing. "I know he is, but she doesn't need to see him to assure herself."

"No, she needs to communicate in the person who hurt her," AJ spoke in the third person as she cutted in, almost yelling as Layla tried to defuse it with a hush, mostly because of the other people in the house. "I'm not afraid of him. I just need to clear the bad energy in my life. I have a great career, awesome friends, a happy family and a kick ass love life. This is the final step of throwing everything bad away and you're being so naïve about it."

"Because you're trying to act like you forgive him!" Kaitlyn exclaimed in response.

AJ rubbed her lips together, looking Kaitlyn straight in the eyes as she whispered lowly, "…But I do."

"You…_forgive _him?" Layla asked, completely taken aback by it.

"Yes. I do forgive him." AJ repeated and agreed with a straight face.

Kaitlyn bit her lip as she looked away, and then waved her hands over her face before letting a tear fall. "Do what you want," she admonished with a crack in her voice.

"Why are you crying?" AJ asked as she tilted her head.

"You want to tell him that 'it's okay that you did this', when he basically hurt you in the worse way." Kaitlyn was officially crying as AJ just inched closer to her. "I…I walked in on that." Once she said that, AJ started frowning as well, pouting with tear bridging her eyes.

"I saw what he did to you and how much he hurt you. All the blood and your bandages and…your tears AJ. You hardly slept or ate because of what he did to you, and I had to sit by and deal with it with you and Punk." Kaitlyn sobbed, which caused AJ and Layla to start crying as well.

"Then I watched you leave us. You got on a plane and left. I saw how much it hurt Punk," she went on while shaking her head, her voice in a quivering shudder. "And watching him cry, actually _cry_, over you hurt the most. You not being here really broke my heart, April."

"I know that. And I missed you guys to death when I left. And it made my desire to come back grow even more," AJ retorted, letting more tears fall as Layla and Kaitlyn listened up. "Holding onto bad energy or the past will harm my future and I'll never be happy. Right now, I'm happier than I've ever been. I don't have a reason to hate him." Kaitlyn nodded as AJ just wiped her tears away smiling. "In a way, he made me stronger. And you guys kept me that way."

"I know. You're my little ass kicker," Kaitlyn joked, making the mood lighter and AJ chuckled. "You're my favorite person and I'm proud of you. It's just…Layla and I can't handle these snarky, lame, overly plastic fake bitches that aren't as awesome as you are. So, I'm just trying to keep you from leaving again. I want you to know you aren't alone in this."

"I know. I've know that since day one," AJ assured. "I love you guys so much, and I thank you for everything. But if you can just support me once more that would be great."

"I'll always support you and love you, Ape." Kaitlyn sniffled as she nodded with a smile. "You're my HBK."

"And you're my Triple H."

Layla frowned as they stopped crying, her face streaked with tears as well, but her heart warmed at the tender moment being displayed by two close. She then interjected by joking, "So does this make me Chyna, X Pac, Rodd Dogg or Billy Gunn?"

AJ and Kaitlyn laughed with her as she pouted with a smile. "No. This makes you Hornswoggle," AJ officially bestowed, causing her and Kaitlyn's laughter to rise a little more.

"Screw the both of you, OK?" Layla fired back, before ultimately breaking the ice and dissolving into a pile of giggles herself, laughing along with AJ and Kaitlyn before group hugging it out, not seeing Phil enter the room with Sheamus behind him.

"Hey, what's going on? We heard a lot of yelling." Stephen wondered aloud, frowning as Kaitlyn just wiped her eyes again. "What happened?"

"We just had a discussion about my idea. With the letter." AJ confessed, making room so the boys could join this on the floor. "I'm going to just write him. Not visit."

"You sure about it?" Phil asked as she nodded. "Well, I hope we get to hear it before you send it."

"Don't worry, you will," AJ assured as she wiped the rest of her tears away. "But enough about that. This room is officially set up."

"Are all of the Chucks fully together in the shoe section, my Converse Queen?" Phil quipped as AJ laughed. "Yes, my tattooed king, it is set up fine."

"Awesome," was his simple response. "We just finished up the loft and all the entertainment stuff is set. Cable guy is working on the triple package and the security system is up and running as well. Colt went with Rose and Amy to pick up some grub."

"And, we came up to give you the last of your mail. Looks like a special package that came in," Stephen said as he held up the long box. "I shook it a couple of times and…it sounded like a stack of something."

AJ gasped as she and Kaitlyn quickly grabbed the box. She looked around for something sharp as Phil just leaned over. Layla handed her a box cutter and she beamed, cutting it open and gasping at the contents. With the Blu-Ray case of WrestleMania 29 in her hand, AJ showed everyone the front and screamed, "I'm on the cover!"

"No way!" Layla gasped as she picked up the DVD. "Holy smokes, you're moonsault is on the back." she noticed, which in turn caused AJ to scream happily even louder.

"I'm on the cover too missy, just so you know," Phil sarcastically informed her as he took the case, smiling as she looked his way. "But you do look hotter in this one…and fearless."

"Just the way they like it," she admonished.

"We totally should watch this when everyone gets back," Kaitlyn suggested with a smile, watching Phil and AJ agree with it. "But on one condition: we have to wear the pajamas."

"Yes!" Layla beamed as AJ nodded. "We can totally have a first night housewarming!"

Stephen and Phil on the other hand didn't show excitement after that. "I'd rather sit around full monty naked than wear those pajamas," Stephen said with a chuckle.

Kaitlyn laughed and replied, "Come on, you know you love them. And we all know the Rock is your favorite person Punk." Kaitlyn chuckled out as AJ just laughed along.

"It was funny when I received it in the hospital, not now," Phil shrugged. "You'll have to bury me in those fucking pajamas to see me in them."

"Would you wear the skull body one I brought you instead? Pleeeaaase, baby?" AJ pleaded sheepishly, smiling bright as Phil just bowed his head.

"I'll think about it," he nodded with smile.

AJ leaned into Phil's arms, smiling around as Nacho barked up, looking at her and whimpering. "I know, Cheese. I'll miss the hole in the corner too." She picked him up and rested him on her lap with a smile. "But we have this new home with Phil and Rose. It's got a huge back yard and Phil is buying you a lot of stuff so you get your own room!" Nacho barked in excitement after that, hopping into Phil's lap as he snickered.

"Now I'm your favorite person, huh?" Phil groused, scratching the little chihuahua in his favorite ear as he rested calmly.

"Ready to call this home?" Phil asked AJ.

"You bet," she confirmed confidently.

As she looked around the new bedroom, she thought about the memories of her first arrival in Tampa. How Kaitlyn once slept on the couch and Aksana showed up with Nacho for her to adopt. She even remembered showing her family the place and how independent she was to be on her own, and the night Phil showed up, sleeping in bed with her for comfort and surprising her after she returned.

"Can't wait to make new memories here."

Phil smacked a loving kiss on her cheek before saying, "Same here doodle."

* * *

I hope you all understand why AJ would forgive Drew for all he did. If you're just as mad as Kaitlyn, tell me why in the review. But these next few chapters have got to be the most emotional chapters i've ever written. And I love it.

So they have a home together, what else will they do on the first night in? You'll have to read and find out. Thanks to Maize for helping me proofread this, and kimberly316, Raiden519 (where's my update for ND! lol), canadice, eva505, Red Foxie, xLifeFullOfLaughterx and DoubleDee068 I thank all you lovelies for reviewing.

With only 4 chapters left (error of last chapter, sorry) , AJ does things that prove her growth and recovery, all so she can finally enjoy her life with Punk and

Until Next time, Besos*


	37. A House is Now a Home Pt 2

Warning: Lemon that might burn your eyes.

* * *

Later that same night, everyone sat in a group in the family space, watching and reliving WrestleMania 29 in their adult onesies and sweats over dinner. They cheered at every match and commented on every moment possible, breaking in the new house with a good time among friends.

Phil couldn't help but feel relaxed. For the first time in months, he was at ease with his new life, and having AJ in it, brightening his days with her smiles, laughs and affectionate display. It wasn't a bad place to be in and Tampa really wasn't a bad town. It was warm and balmy all the time, different from the bitter winters in Chicago. He knew people down here from in and outside of work over the years (thanks to him and Daniel, NXT became flooded with indie kids he once mentored).

Plus, AJ was here and she loved her other home away from home. He knew buying a house was a bit much, but he really wanted to be closer to her and safe. If he needed to inhale the Gulf air every other week to do so, then so be it.

"So, you talked to Hunter about your comeback…and how creative shouldn't screw it up." Colt brought up, centering every one's attention to the topic at hand. "What's the update?"

Phil smiled as AJ cuddled closer to him. "House show in Bloomington…then cut a promo at the Payback PPV in Chicago and wrestle on Raw." Layla gasped as they all cheered, causing him to hold up the hand and laugh. "The house show is just to oil my robotic body into shape, but the official in ring, televised return will happen at Money in the Bank, just in time for SummerSlam."

"You're going to be in the ladder match?" Kaitlyn asked with a frown.

"I thought this break was to relax your body, not to prep it for more damage," Stephen added.

"Why not?" Phil retorted, but nodded and added, "Well, that's up in the air also. All depends on how I do with this match. I need to pick a side now that John is WWE champ and Ziggler cashed in the World Heavyweight…"

"Ugh, please honey, don't talk about it. We've heard about it daily enough from him," AJ groaned, shaking as Kaitlyn agreed. "I mean, he deserves it, but he really should just marry himself to the damn belt already, and spare us the misery."

"Wow, so it's either face or heel then?" Rose asked.

"Seems so."

"Either way, people will be excited about the return of the rebellious voice of the voiceless or the complete wanker he became deep into his WWE title reign," Layla joked as Kaitlyn and AJ started snickering along. Phil just threw the pillow laughing as well.

"Wow. It's already eleven at night. Are you all going to keep watching?" queried Rose with a huge smile.

Phil shook his head with AJ as she rolled her eyes, knowing that her sister was excited about sleeping in her own room. "Fine. We'll watch the rest of this in the morning. Go to bed, Grandma."

"Awesome. I'll see you kids in the morning." Rose picked up Nacho as she rested in her arms snuggly. "C'mon Cheese. We're cuddling in my new room tonight." Rose held up the peace sign as everyone wished her good night, as she up to a bedroom and closing the door shut.

"So, we'll take the guest room, and if you hear something loud, it's him not me," Amy stated referencing to Colt, and laughing as the aforementioned one took her hand and walked towards the stairs chuckling.

"I left you guys a little housewarming gift in the nightstand!" Colt yelled before entering the room.

"No sex in the guest room, asswipe!" Phil yelled, but was completely ignored as the door slammed shut. "I swear…"

"They're newly coupled, leave them be," AJ waved off nonchalantly, taking him with her as they ushered Layla, Kaitlyn and Stephen out the house. "Thanks for all your help guys. Means a lot."

"No problem, darling. I'll catch up with you in the later time." Layla mentioned as she hugged them both.

"Since you only live thirty minutes away from Stephen," Kaitlyn beamed as Phil just shook his head. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Can you keep her in bed until noon? I can't deal with this best friend coming over thing every day," Phil joked, avoiding a hit from Kaitlyn as Stephen pulled her away.

"I should tell you the same thing for her, fella," Stephen retorted, his head of course bobbing to April. The girls gasped as AJ shook her head with a blush. "Don't do things teenagers should wait until they're married to do, lads," The Celtic Warrior teased while walking away.

"Oh, shut your potato loving face, Beaker," Phil volleyed back out to Stephen, comparing his likeness to that of the orange-haired Muppet as the trio of him, Kaitlyn and Layla walked towards the car. "And I hope you have earplugs, Layla!"

"You bet I do!" the lovely Brit giggled back. After watching them drive off, AJ entered the house and Phil closed the door, leaning against it with a relieved sigh.

"Home sweet home," AJ observed, spinning in her small foyer as she walked towards the halls. "It feels amazing."

"Yeah, it does," Phil agreed, walking behind her with his hand around her waist.

"Being here with you makes it better," she added, smiling the brightest and happiest smile that Phil had seen her display in a long while. AJ quickly kissed Phil and took that hand that was on her hip, walking towards the bedroom after Phil shut every light off and turned the security system.

She looked at the master bedroom and as he walked behind her with his hand closing the door, he could see the hint of sadness in her eyes and how tense she looked. He was hoping for the same smile he saw on her face to re-appear, just to assure that she wasn't regretting this move.

"You alright?" he pressed.

AJ looked around, and then bit her lips shyly. "I just…never thought I'd be a home owner, Phil," she admitted, obviously noting that she lived in motels, cars and other people houses in her youth. "I'm just in shock that I am. I've come a pretty long way from having nothing, and it still hasn't hit me yet."

"That's fine. Listen, you deserve this house, baby," he assured her. "You deserve everything coming your way. And if I have to be the man that gives and makes damn sure you get it, then so be it."

AJ shook her head, slowly sitting at the edge of the bed with her eyes locked to his. "Thank you for believing in me."

"Always." He leaned over for a kiss, hearing her exhale as he hugged her waist with his large hands. He could feel the difference in this kiss. There was a hint of urgency as well, as her body simply melted after contact, and he could see the redness coloring her face. She was blushing again, and it hit him afterward that she was nervous to be with him right now. But why?

"You sure you're okay?" he repeated differently his question to her.

AJ nodded and replied, "I just…I keep thinking about us and our relationship…and how far we've come."

He nodded in understanding, watching her stretch and exhale once more before saying, "I don't feel shy around you anymore, so I shouldn't hide my, shall we say, _desires _for you." His eyes widened at her revelation as she blinked harshly. "I know, it's hard to just jump into intimacy because I've never been…I mean I wasn't really experienced to begin with," she sputtered. "But, I know how you feel about it and I don't want to stop and-"

"Wait," he interjected, blinking as her words put the puzzle in his head together. "April, look. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do just because I need to be satisfied. I'm beyond satisfied with what I have with you. I mean, I do love sex, don't get me wrong, but after all you've been through…what _we've_ been through, waiting isn't a problem."

"But sweetie, the thing is, I _want _you to make love to me," she expressed, sighing in relief once she said it. "If you feel the same way, I want you to let it happen," she exhaled, softly smiling as he looked her straight in the eye.

Instead of being embarrassed about her request, she told him what she wanted, which is something she had hardly done in their relationship. Phil could tell she meant every word of it and wasn't trying to cure his needs, but her own as well.

Phil reached out, pulled her arm up and pressed her body against his, bridging his fingers under her chin as she looked up. "I hear you, loud and clear. And I promise to take care of it when the opportunity presents itself. Either way, I'm going to take care of you when you need anything done. Alright?" he soothed, smiling at her as she nodded.

Still, AJ looked worried about something, which just made him laugh nervously. "What?"

AJ groaned, then squeezed her eyes shut with her hands over her face, but kept her smile on. "What wrong AJ?" he repeated, with a mix of frustration and worry.

She looked up into his eyes, then she confessed with averted eyes, "I'm not wearing anything under these pajamas."

Phil looked down at the green and black plaid hoodie footed nightwear, noticing the snug outline of her body. She really wasn't wearing anything underneath. And it was at that moment that Phil instantaneously felt himself become erect. _Very_ hard.

He groaned and looked up, closing his eyes with a smile. "These aren't meant to be sexy. So tell me _why _are you making them this way?" She just stared at him, not answering but snickering instead. Finally, she shrugged her shoulders, indicating that she really did know why, but didn't care to reveal until she confessed her desires.

"Are you sure about this?" he offered, watching her nod once more with a smile. He stood back a little bit, reaching for his clothing and slowly pulling it off, letting it off to leave him in nothing but his boxers.

April looked excited and nervous once her eyes landed on his body. It wasn't anything there that she had never seen before. His tattoos still brightened his lean and muscular frame, and he still had the smell of body wash and sweat leaving his body. To be honest, he started to feel jumpy once he reached for her zipper, slowly pulling it down and looking into her eyes as the fabric started peeling from her shoulders, her arms and her chest. Once his hands left her back, he slowly stood back, watching her struggle to hide herself with the top.

"Let me see you April," he whispered, pulling her arms away and taking in the sight of her bare, exposed naked body with a smile. He saw the faded mark from her injures, and the new tattoos trademark her beautiful small and athletic frame. From the crown of her chestnut-haired head down to black-polished tippy toes of her feet, she was as beautiful on the outside as much as she was on the inside.

"I love this. I love you." he uttered warmly with his hands on her hips.

"But my breasts are small and my scars are still…" she started to ramble, being her ever so self-deprecating self that attracted Phil to her even more.

"Stop it, Ape," he cut her off, pressing a kiss on her neck as he hugged her close. "You're perfect the way you are."

After she stepped out, she carefully crawled into bed and covered herself with the sheets, watching him pull off his boxers with his eyes locked on hers. Her breath caught in her throat once her eyes looked down, watching his erection stand up shamelessly.

"Wow," was the only word that breathlessly left her lips as she smiled, watching him make his way to the end of the bed and under the sheets. She giggled shamelessly when he crawled towards her and pulled the sheets over their heads, making the awkwardness go as he lay next to her.

She shifted herself closer, placing a soft kiss against his lips as his hands slowly traced the curves along her body. He didn't want to be implosive or hasty. This is a huge deal for them, and he didn't want to rush it. Taking his time to make sure she was satisfied was the main goal.

"Are you nervous?" AJ whispered against his lips, tracing her fingers against his muscles as he scoffed.

"Would it be pathetic if I said yes?" They both began to laugh heartily as Phil shook his head. "I just…I know it sounds corny as fuck but...I was trying to give you that fairy tale, romantic novel, soap opera level type of shit, with lots of-"

"In case you haven't already noticed, this is romantic enough as it is for me." Phil watched AJ's hand as it traveled further underneath the covers, before coming to rest on his shaft, causing him to shutter in pleasure when she stroked him. "I don't need anything extra. I just wanted a moment that I will remember for a very long time. I want love, and you always show me how much you love me."

"But I feel you deserve the most amazing romantic experience, babe," he urged pleadingly, peeling her hand off and intertwined his fingers over the bed, pining it up and feeling her other hand nails dig softly into his shoulder blades. "But don't worry. I'm gonna give you love. I will give you love...and so much more."

Phil then took one of her breasts into his mouth, causing her to whine and moan in the sexiest tone he had ever hear her make. "Oh…" she whimpered out, enjoying the sensation as he wrapped his arms around her body.

"Wait, hold on a sec," Phil said after he pulled away, briefly putting a halt to their activities, and hovering over to his to the draw that Colt had mentioned earlier, opening it and breaking out into a wide smile, chuckling at what he saw. "I don't know why I'm friends with that bastard sometimes."

"What? What is it?" AJ asked curiously, watching Phil turn back to her, pulling out a long packet of protection, which didn't make AJ uncomfortable or upset. All she did was cover her face and blush with a smile as he waved it around. "I think Amy may have had some input," she sputtered out laughingly.

"Boy, what best friends we have," Phil sardonically quipped shook his head, pulling one off and throwing the rest to the floor. "How do you feel, now?"

AJ said nothing at first, simply only rubbing his chin while biting her bottom lip with a shy smile. "I am pretty nervous," she admitted. "It's just that I just haven't been intimate in a while, and the last time I was in a situation like this, the end result wasn't very good obviously."

"It's a big deal, I understand," he sympathized to her.

"Yeah. But this is about us, now. I'm ready," she declared confidently. Hearing that only made Phil feel even harder than he was now, pressed his lips against her, trailing those kisses down her shoulder line and neck, softly and tenderly. Flames shot through her body as his tongue rolled over her breast, playing with her puckered nipple and leaving love marks on her body. He was taking his time with her. Every touch was tender, every kiss was passionate, and his eyes channeled admiration when he locked with hers.

Phil knew that what happened to her was terrifying. Drew ruined something that had meant to be shared between two people who love one another. So after all she had been through, she could clearly see what Phil was doing. He's making this experience much more memorable and pleasurable than the last one she endured.

AJ felt her stomach start to turn again, but then Phil reached out and pulled her onto his lap, locating her legs on either side of his thighs so that she was fully straddling him. He prompted himself up and slowly rolled the condom onto his member, and he grinned wolfishly before pressing his lips hard against her.

He positioned her over him and waited for her to push down on her own time. "Take your time, babe. Just enjoy it," Phil instructed. She nodded and watched him grab his manhood to make her entrance easier. As soon as she felt him enter, a sharp pain came and her face scrunched up softly. His face was frowned also, but he relaxed to stare at her, moving her hair from her face as she licked her lips.

"It's been a while," she mentioned sarcastically, trying not to think about it as he massaged his fingers through her long wavy hair and wrapping his strong arm to keep her close.

"I'm never going to hurt you again. Not me or anyone else," he pledged to her.

"I know you'd never hurt me. Just keep going." She moved down slowly and hissed again, trying to take him all in and it was possible. Her walls covered him completely and she could feel that pain start to subside slowly. And when she started to ride, she watched him place his hands on her hips to help her move.

"You alright?" he asked. She nodded with her eyes looking into his, moaning as they continued. She felt so safe with him. After this was over, nothing can hurt her. And no one would hurt her because he wouldn't allow it happen. She moaned more as the grinding continued. She felt nothing but fullness, sparks and heat between them.

"This is amazing," he breathed out, giving his own critique of the experience he was partaking in. She moaned more when his upward thrust matched with her very exact movement, watching him lick his lips and make pleasure-laced facial expressions. They transitioned from really slow to passionately slow, making every thrust count and every moan from her throat heard. She knew he wasn't trying to moan; all she heard him do was grunt and breathe through his nose and mouth. He kept touching her, like he did with her before, only now he was one with her. United finally. And it felt out of this world.

"Phil…"

She started to move faster and when she looked at him with softened eyes again, it caused him to moan and make her smile while he continued to run his fingers through her tangled locks. He kept his eyes locked with hers evermore when he turned them both over, placing him on her back again, settling in between her legs and thrusting fully into her, feeling her walls start to finally relax on him. He caressed her cheeks and she clawed her nails into his back again. They kept it steady but still sensational when he moved, making everything all the more intense. April was feeling a multitude of emotions, ranging extremely from good, to hot, to strong, and finally, confident.

Then out of nowhere, Phil was able to reach down and place her hitched legs over his shoulder, extending the limbs properly as her moans increased and her body began to shutter from the sensuality. Her flexibility was a huge plus in this situation, as he began to find out. She screamed with harmony and closed her eyes from all the bliss she was feeling. "Baby, look at me," he plead to her, causing her to quickly open her eyes to stare back, looking at him grin over her.

"You look so good on me right now," he mentioned.

"But I _feel _good on you," he growled at her in response, making her giggle at him a little as he keep slowing moving inside her. She never felt so alive before and so much fiery passion between them. He was cursing to himself and rolling his head back in pure pleasure when she raked her nails deeper into his skin. He kept both his arms steady up and on both sides of her, felling her walls start to contract in and over him. "I'm…I'm gonna...oh, shit, its starting to…"

"Just let it go, baby. Let it go." she commanded for him to do, and waited for the burning sensation to expand and create her first orgasm as he worked her core. And at that point in time, that fiery feeling returned to her body, sending a blazing shot of internal energy down her legs, arms, chest and spine. The pair kept their eyes locked on one another as she starched Phil's back hard, making him thrust deeper. The look she gave him when she came was intense, soft and full of pleasure.

That was it for him. April felt him reach his peak, feeling him slow down and waited for the orgasm to ride out. Their lips crashed together and she moaned against them when her walls squeeze around him and making her exhale strongly. He stayed inside her and hissed over the tightness of her orgasm.

"Wow," she exhaled wondrously, letting a tear roll down as she started to breathe carefully. He rubbed it away with his thumb and they stared at on another for a very long time, not saying a word, just smiling and one another, before briefly cracking up in giggles.

"You feel any different?" Phil asked in the aftermath.

"Yes. I just connected with parts of my body feelings that I never knew existed," she described. He snickered at her and she kissed him. "How do you feel?" she retored.

"Wonderful. You were absolutely amazing," was his response. He started to try and move, until all of a sudden she stopped him, digging her nails into his muscled arms again and aching her back and chest to his. "What is it, baby"

"Stay with me... please…" AJ begged, sounding really shy and scared that he might just leave her.

"I'm never going. I just want you to relax," he assured her, and then moved to lie on his back. She placed her head on his sweaty chest, letting her hair drape over his arm and shoulders when he wrapped his arm around her. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you just as much," she volleyed back with a smile as her eyes were closed. He smiled as she started to yawn, and then kissed her forehead before drifting off to sleep with her.

That bad feeling she thought she was having was just a feeling of nervousness. This was delightful, not painful and scary.

This house and this intimate moment was simply a caring moment that was provided and brought to her by one Phillip Jack Brooks. And April wouldn't have loved it any better than that.

* * *

As the morning arose, Phil slowly awoke to the quiet sounds of birds and wind in the air. The sun peaked through the blinds and he groaned, moving a little as AJ curled closer to him, still lightly sleeping.

She was still naked underneath the comforter, as bare as he is which confirmed to him that last night was no dream, and that what happened, _really _happened. He probably didn't want to feel like a high school pimpled outcast that finally got laid, but man, this felt great. She was pretty fearless last night, and she was very happy with him. All the passion and chemistry that filled the room made the night special, and since it was their house, their _home_, he was more than satisfied with the first night. Definitely satisfied with her burning desires being fulfilled.

His phone chimed too many times on the stand, causing him to reach over for a look. One text from Amy informed him, "_Morning sunshine. Waffles, Egg Whites, Fruit Salad and Mango Agua Fresca for Breakfast and was made at eight. Rose and Nacho invited Kenz and I to the Dog Park and beach in the Southwest. Colt, Kait, Lay and Sheamo are joining us. Come or not, it's up to you_."

A text from Rose stated, "_Tell sis I'm at the beach with Nacho for the day. We all are. Breakfast is for you two. If you two are interested in coming afterwards, let us know. But we thought you could use some alone house time for the first time. Enjoy._"

The next message read, "_You leave that house and come see me, I'll kick you right in those goddamn ribs myself. Eat up for stamina. Empty house = louder sound effects. Wink wink, see you two crazy kids tonight._"

That last one he could tell was from Colt, and it caused him to chuckle away as he set his phone back down. As a result of his repositioning, AJ began to stir, spooning with him as she moaned softly.

"Good morning," she yawned out.

"Morning to you, too," he replied, placing a kiss on her bare shoulder, moving the rest of her hair from her neck and talking in her ear. "This house is empty. Everyone's out and won't come back unless I say so."

That caused her to turn around and smile brightly. "Good, because I really wanted to walk around in the outfit I'm wearing now."

Phil raised an eyebrow at the request, noticing her breast peaking past the brim of the comforter. "Naked? Did I bring out a wild side from you last night?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Who's to say? You won't know until we leave this bed…._if _you want to leave."

Phil inhaled deeply before pulling her closer, rolling on top of her as she giggled freely and adjusting underneath him. "I kind of have this desire to eat the waffles your sister made in bed…just like this."

"Sounds great to me," she agreed, but her hands trailed his arms as he looked on. "But maybe...we should eat it _after_."

His eyebrow rose as she blushed into his chest. "Really, now? Morning delight before Orange Juice?" he teased, wrapping his arm under her waist as she moaned. "I'm really starting to love Florida," he expressed buoyantly, pulling the packet up as they started to touch and embrace back into a sexual moment.

Phil couldn't help but think about how free and happy he had been lately up to this moment. He started feeling this way when AJ walked back into his house. He never envisioned himself living with her, let alone having a house in Tampa for her. But after the love making session last night, and the one happening as the sun rose, it all showed how much had changed for them and the growth of their relationship.

If moments and scenarios like this came with being with her, then Phil Brooks was living on a high cloud than most. And he was going to make it last.

* * *

It's hot in herr! lol Please don't start stripping though.

Don't know how I did with this one. I'm sort of prudy when it comes to writing sex. But this is a little innocent, giving what AJ has been through, so I gave it a softcore touch. As fluffy and lemon based as I could. Next time, I might just get a little dirty.

I hope you all enjoyed it. With 3 Chapters left to the story, so much more has to happen for AJ. The next chapter is the case...or is it?

I want to thank you all for your support, reviews and input, especially the people who are on the Punk Locker Room forum. It's still awesome that Punklee is still alive through the stories. canadice, Red Foxie, ghunter182003, DoubleDee068, xLifeFullOfLaughterx, eva505, Matt (Raiden519) thank you bbs for reviewing and thanks to anyone who has been favoring this. Maize, thanks for looking this through as always.


	38. Set Fire to the Past

Warning: Salt like water will peak from the abyss of your tear ducts. Just saying.

* * *

Tuesday June 4th, 2013

AJ kept her hand tight with Kaitlyn, Stephen and Rose as they sat in the halls of the Hudson City Courthouse. In the room, the evidence was being presented, and her letter to Drew was being read. Afterwards, the DA had to tell her what the Judge would say about the case. She was only allowed to write to him, which she did, not thinking of the impact it would have on her case. Hopefully, it made the judge see how affected her life was by what happened.

Just then, David and Meyers entered the halls, with Phil walking behind him quietly. She jumped up and looked at Phil with complete attention, grabbing his hand quickly and pulling him in.

"What happened? I thought you said this would take all morning?" AJ asked, noticing that Phil, along with the two legal experts, had only been outside for about thirty minutes..

"Well, it seems the process don't need to continue anymore...because it looks like Drew is changing his plea," Meyer stated straight out as a smile itched across her face. AJ's eyes widened in shock as her sister just began to cry. "We may not have to go to trial after all."

"We were in the middle of presentation and he pulled his lawyer away to talk," David explained. "Twenty minutes later, the judge pulled us to the stand and approved a change of plea proposal, and for it to happen right now."

"So, this means that he's going to plead guilty?" Kaitlyn asked, wanting to get crystal clear on what she had just heard.

"Yes. The restraining order will be in force after today, but he will be gone and away from you," Meyers confirmed. "He can't touch or talk to you, nor can you add anything else to the letter or communicate with him."

All this news and information was a welcomed thing for AJ's conscience. But there was still one more matter of things to know about. "Okay. So when's the sentencing?"

"We might have to return for that. But I think the Judge might decide it today based on your statement I read." David informed her.

"Sweetheart, what you wrote…it really got to him," Meyer said with a scoff in her breath. "He seemed really upset to hear what you had to say. But it changed his mind and heart. You just saved your own case."

"Thank god," AJ muttered under her breath. It seemed that this agonizingly long nightmare would, soon enough, _finally_ be over.

"You ready to go in?" Punk asked her as she looked for her sister. They opened the door, seeing Hunter and Stephanie sitting behind the DA. She nodded to them as Punk ushered her to the seat in the middle of the room. She sat down with Punk and Kaitlyn as Hunter approached her.

"You sure you're okay with being in here?" he queried worry in his voice. "You just say the word and…"

"I'm fine, Hunter," AJ interjected and he mouthed '_okay_', returning to his seat as the trial started.

April felt her heart stop and her nerves unravel once Drew entered the room, his arms and legs handcuffed and shackled respectively, and his orange jumpsuit brightening the empty side of the room. He looked awful. In fact, he looked worse than awful. He looked like absolute shit. The once slinky looking hair he had looked dry and dusty, and he'd lost the muscular edge and tone he had to his body as well. He looked much smaller and extremely tired. He had a few bruises on his face as well, some of them looking fresher than the others. She kept looking at him and thinking back to the fateful night in question.

_His grip was strong, vigorous and painful on her skinny arms. He hauled himself closer to her and kept his eyes locked on her and those eyes trailed up and down her petite body._

While he took his spot next to a lawyer, he glanced at her. She noticed the pain in his eyes. He also looked cold but most of all, he looked pitiful and sorry. She felt Punk tighten his grip on her hand and she turned to him, putting her hands on his lap as she sighed. Thank God he was here. She would be a complete mess right now if not for him. As always, he was supporting her. Her mind still fluttered back and she tried to stop, but looking at Drew just brought back the horror and perversion of that night.

_"Why are you getting all the attention? Look at you, you're fucking pathetic! You're not attractive, and you're weak. But you're a star now? You get more attention than I do? That's stupid." __S__he just closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them, someone would come for her or help her. _

"Just remember," her sister reminded her as she leaned over and give her a soft look, offering up to her a small smile. "It's over after this." AJ nodded and the officer walked in, signaling for everyone to stand up.

"Court is now in session, The Honorable Judge Amy Laski presiding." The judge took a seat and put on her glasses, looking at the information handed to her by the clerk.

"Please be seated," she said as everyone sat down. "The defense may stand." After reading more, the judge looked to Drew with a stern face and started. "In the matter of the State v. Galloway, How does the defense plead?"

"Guilty your honor." Drew spoke up and AJ inhaled deeply. Even hearing his voice hurt her again. Everyone pain that shot through her body again.

_"Oh, __d__on't worry." He caressed her face __while __she shook her head violently, and before he could continue, he turned her head and leaned into her ear, saying the worlds that would haunt her forever. "I just want to see what makes you so special."_

"And has the counsel reached a settlement?"

"Yes, your honor. The people have agreed to time served on all his charges. Also, Mr. Galloway must enter a state approved rehab effective immediately for 30 days before heading to jail."

The Judge looked at Drew and sighed. "Mr. Galloway, are you aware that by pleading guilty, you lose your right to a trial by a jury of your peers?"

"Yes."

"Do you understand what giving up that right means?"

Drew nodded. "Yes."

"Do you know that you are waiving the right to cross-examine your accusers?"

"Yes."

AJ started to breathe heavy and Punk noticed this, as Rose tightened the grip on her hand as she bit her lip. Punk watched as Drew willingly confessed to everything. He agreed to all his charges and didn't hesitate with his answers. The judge then looked at the paper with a list of the charges against him, and rattled them off one by one.

"Are you pleading guilty because, you in fact, assaulted the victim without legal provocation?"

"Yes."

"Are you pleading guilty because, you in fact, left the victim battered and assaulted without any legal provocation?"

"Yes."

"Are you pleading guilty because, you in fact, sexual assaulted the victim, using violence or the threat of violence to override consent?"

Drew bowed his head and shamefully, and sniffed back some tears while answering, "Yes."

"Are you pleading guilty to the use of AAS and the illegal purchase of the drug?"

"Yes." The judge shook her head as she looked at Drew, in shock that he confessed to everything.

"Mr. Galloway, I have to say, the fact that you came in and pleaded guilty to all this was the right thing to do. Is there anything you wish to express for the records?"

Drew didn't look at AJ when he said it, but she knew what he was telling her. "I am…truly...and deeply sorry," he started out saying, clearing his throat as his voice cracked. "I caused a lot of pain, and I'm sorry for all the hurt and pain I have caused her, as well as those around her who care for her. And I am willing to accept any charges seek fit by the law."

"In that case, Mr. Galloway, you are hereby sentenced to twenty years in state federal prison. I'm adding another fifteen years for the aggravated assault in the second degree, without the possibility of parole in between that time. For the illegal buy and sell, you are hereby sentenced to an additional two years, and you will complete a court-approved rehab program for thirty days in between your sentences."

Once the judge slammed the gravel down, AJ didn't move. She didn't speak, cheer, or cry. All she did was blink at the math. Drew was basically going to jail for thirty-five years. And as he walked away, he didn't look upset about it, nor remorseful about it. He just accepted his fate.

"AJ?"

Everyone was surrounding her as she looked around, seeing them stare at her with concern. Punk was talking to her with a small frown. "Are you okay?" She nodded as he took her hand.

"How do you feel about wrestling tonight? If you want, you can…" Hunter stared to speak, but she shook her head instantly and just smiled.

"I just want to work. I'm ready to go," she assured while holding Punk's hand, saying her goodbyes to Meyers and David and didn't bother saying anything else as they all walked out to a stream of press and reporters hollowing at her.

She knew this was over, but something inside her told her it wasn't.

Not until she had let it all burn out.

* * *

"Maybe she just wants to think to herself," Punk guessed as he kept his phone on speaker and chatted with Amy and Colt. He sat around with John, Daniel, Kaitlyn and Sheamus, returning to the hotel suite that night after the Smackdown taping in Uniondale, NY. AJ had her match, won it, and asked to come right back, not willing to hang around anyone else. Up until then, she didn't speak or eat; she just sat on the balcony and did nothing but look out into the sky. Rose was standing with her and talking, but AJ didn't seem to be into the conversation.

"She didn't tell you how she was feeling after the trial?" Amy asked, making Kaitlyn shrug when Punk looked her way.

"No. She didn't react at all to the news."

"I can't believe it's really done," Daniel said. "I mean thank God it is, but I didn't see this happening."

"I just can't believe Drew changed his plea. All from the letter she wrote," Colt spoke up, causing them all to agree as Punk sighed.

"I wonder what's on it," John pondered aloud.

The door knocked and Kaitlyn stood up slowly to answer it. "I'll call you guys back. Later." Punk hung up the phone and smiled when Layla and Kofi entered, hugging everyone and offering support to everyone else in the room. "Hey, what's up? We got a call from AJ to come down here," Layla mentioned.

Punk shook his head with confusion, looking at the door as the balcony door opened, and AJ walked in with Rose.

"Punk?" Rose called out. While Punk stood up with everyone, she nodded to the paper in his hand. "She wants the letter. Hers and Drew's." Punk just glanced at her confused. "She wants everyone to hear it…and then we are going to burn it," Rose confirmed. "It's the best way to let it go."

"You sure?" Punk asked with his head tilted to AJ, trying to gauge something, _anything_ out of her to try and guess how she was doing. She didn't look at him at all, she just nodded. Sighing in defeat, he then looked to his bag, taking out the old crumpled paper that had been stashed in his bag for months. She looked at him with glossy eyes as he slowly passed it to her. Once she held on to it, her black polished nails traced over the back of it, looking for a clean and steady way to open it.

AJ walked outside and everyone followed, huddling together as Punk placed a bucket in the center. He stood on the opposite side of her as she ripped it open. She glanced over it, only to shake her head and fold it back up. After that, she took out a small paper from her pocket and Punk just looked at her, watching her open it.

"I wrote this for him. Dr. Grey told me I should write my feelings out. But I didn't think it would change his mind…" She shook her head with little resolve. She stood tall and opened her paper, looking to everyone with a weak smile before reading what was on the paper.

"_Drew,_

_June 17__th__ 2012. That's a __night __that's more than just another PPV Sunday. It's not just Father's Day, nor is it the night I made my return to the Garden State. It's a __night __that fore__ver __changed my life._

_You changed my life. The only issue with that__ is that__ I never asked you to. But somehow, I was the target of your sick and depraved attack. I don't understand what qualified me to be on the receiving end of this treatment. What did I do to you? You can't even tell me why because you honestly don't have a reason. You used me as a __punching __bag for your frustration and anger. You hit me repeatedly, kicked me down and while I was down, you verbally spat on my character and my humanity without any logical reason. I spent the moments it happened crying on the inside and out, begging you to stop there and just leave me alone. I just wanted to get up and run, and you didn't let me._

_Instead, you used your six foot five body and weighted me down, held me back, and then, just when I thought you would end my life, you just took away part of my innocence. You violated me. You raped me."_

AJ inhaled, moving her hair from her face as everyone just remained silent and listened. She continued on firmly.

"_I stared at this clock on the nightstand as you forced your body mass on my 107 pound petite frame, and you had sex with me. But __i__t wasn't me having sex with you, nor did we share a one night stand. It was all you and I watched the time go by very slowly as you kept going. I screamed for it to be over, I begged you to stop. But you didn't. You even looked me in the eyes as you continued on. I could see that the humble, noble person I met on my first day in the company just wasn't there. You changed, and you didn't care how much it hurt me. You just kept going."_

"_This is usually the part where I tell you I hate you. That I __would call you a gutless, senseless, no good piece of fucking shit, and __wish that you would die or rot in jail for the rest of your life, only for you __to burn in Hell forever more__. That your face haunts me every night in my sleep, or that you ruined my life. And how I can't eat, sleep or look outside to see the sun because I'm so afraid to even look at the ones I love. I should say that I will never trust again, __that __you're a sick, cruel, evil human being, and I will forever let that night haunt me."_

"_But I__'m not.__ I'm not going to torture you by lying. The truth is, I have been through worst already. I grew up with nothing. My life was surreal as a youth, and I've seen things you've only watched in films and read in books. I've had people turn their backs on m__e,__ and step on me harder than you__ ever could__. People have __hurt me with words, __and I've had people use me with my emotions before. You just did it in the most __heartless __way possible."_

"_My sanity was almost ruined by you. But in the end, it wasn't. I don't want to be the victim anymore, and I refuse to show weakness after what you did. I thank God every single day that people found me that night, and afterwards, made sure I didn't lose myself. I know who my real friends are and who truly cares for me, on and off the road. Those who only looked to me with sorrow are not kept at a far distance, but I've learned to accept those who do want my friendship and those who believe in me."_

AJ finally cracked a smile after, looking at Kaitlyn, who let her tears fall under Sheamus' arms, and Layla, who was nodding assuredly with Daniel and John beside her.

"_When most victims would run away from love or a relationship, I actually found a great one." _She paused at that moment, watching Punk look up at her with a nonchalant eye.

"_I really found love in hopeless place, and I love him. I almost didn't let him because of you, but he's been helping me remain grounded ever since that night. We would have never been brought together and I would have never learned to trust and love again if it weren't for him. I truly know that love is being with someone through the good and horrid. And what a respectful man really is. All because of him."_

"_You pushed me down, but I bounced right back up. Now, I feel stronger than ever before. I work myself to the bone to become better and become well again, and this is just the beginning. I plan on climbing higher and reaching for my stars until I touch them all. I want to have a clean and bright future, but I can't do that if I hold on to the past. I want to show others who have been through what I've been through that they should stand up and not down." _

She choked on the last few words, rubbing her nose as Punk walked up to her and pulled her close.

"_I don't know if you're truly sorry for all the pain and hurt you caused me. I don't know if you confessed because you know what you did was wrong, and I don't know if you hurt me just to make yourself feel better, or if you regret doing it at all. But, even through all of that...I forgive__ you, Drew. Yes__…I do…forgive you."_

After AJ said that, they watched her sigh deeply as she finish reading with shaky hands.

"_And I hope you do what's right. I won't be the one whispering the word guilty in your ears and into your mind. You've had that voice in your head since you did what you did. So listen to it, and hopefully, someday, your nightmares will end the way mine did."_

Everyone just stood silent as she let the paper open, then as Rose stuck a match to light, AJ brought the paper to it, and they watched it set a fire quickly. AJ gazed at it quickly, and then dropped it into the water based bucket as it burned.

Waving Drew's Letter high, she shook her head and said, "He didn't even apologize to me privately. All he did was back his reasons for doing what he did. He just said he was sorry it was me. I made him plead guilty for all of this, and he agreed, just so he could feel like he did the right thing. As if this makes him a better person," she shook her head and spat in complete anger.

Punk tried to hug her but she quickly pushed him away. "No, Phil. Don't. I already feel weak again, hurt and upset. Hugging me is just going to make me cry and break down and he doesn't get that. He doesn't. I won't let him have that," she stubbornly stated.

"I already forgave him. I'm not going to cry about it," AJ continued on as she placed the paper of the fire, letting it burn and saying, "I just want to close this case. Or let it burn in this case." She threw the paper into the burning fire and watched it burn with everyone.

She didn't even read the rest of it. She'll never know what the rest of the letter said. She just saw the four piece of paper burn to ash. Then, she hurled the letter she wrote along with it. Everyone just watched with her, not saying a word.

Soon, she felt a familiar set of arms wrap themselves around her neck and waist. She grabbed onto them, burying her mouth and nose into his blue sweatshirt sleeve and slowly letting her tears fall onto it. Punk then pulled her closer and hugged her tighter. She felt so protected at the moment. It felt so right for him to be close to her. "You need to let it out, April."

"But you'll hate seeing me like this," she mumbled out while shaking her head, trying to keep the tears in.

"I know. But now that this is all over, you need to let it go. It's fine for right now," he whispered with his cheek against hers.

"Just let it go,.Let...it...go..."

And after those words, April did in fact let it go. What started out as quiet weeping soon nestled into outright wailing, as all of the bottled up hurt, anger and emotion slowly released itself. Phil listened to her as she started crying again, sobbing at full volume and letting her body go weak in his arms. Rose, along with Kaitlyn and Layla, started crying also and soon, the rest of the group circled around her also before joining in the hug, enclosing her in loving warmth with Phil rubbing her back for comfort. He knew everyone was watching as she kept crying and he didn't care. He was her protector, and he was going to do anything to keep her safe when she needed it.

She proved she was strong enough to move on after today, and he was going to do all he could to keep her on the right track.

* * *

This has to be the most emotional chapter yet, which is why I used it towards the end. I did plan this after the WM chapter, but I wanted things to be complete for AJ before this happened. I hope you guys love it because writing the letter made me cry.

I want to thank you all for your input, support and love through the chapters. ConchaaRex, DoubleDee068, Raiden519, eve505, Sam Cuddles (your reviews made me laugh so hard. Thanks for even catching up dear.), xLifeFullOfLaughterx, and Red Foxie: thank you all for reading and reviewing. Maize is awesome for reading this over and he's sad that he won't be able to look over this story after it's done.

With only 2 chapters left, AJ looks at her life and what has changed a year later. How will she deal with it, along with everyone else.

Till Next time, Besos *


	39. Now is a Gift called the Present Pt 1

June 17th, 2013

Monday Night Raw the Van Andel Arena

Grand Rapids, MI

"Hey there, champ."

AJ looked up as she stood near the bus in the arena garage lot. A smile graced her lips as she received a big warm hug from Sheamus, watching him walk off his new tour bus and hoisting the Intercontinental Championship over his shoulder after winning it from Wade Barrett a week ago. She was very happy he received a trusted push towards becoming a Triple Crown Champ. He put in just as much work as she did so it was only fair. "Where's our favorite guy right now?" he asked.

"He's doing the Make a Wish event with John. I just finished up my interview with GQ and I have a photoshoot with them in the morning. After that, I'll get to see the shots from our promo for SummerSlam. It's been a pretty busy couple of days."

"Tell me about it, lass," the Irishman sighed in agreement. "I mean, just today, I had to do two radio stations, a photo shoot, some blog chatting, an ESPN article and they added me to the Slim Jim promotion." He shook his head as she exhaled with him. "Never thought being a champion could be so consuming."

She glanced at the custom butterfly belt in her hand, shining in a new black and pink color with her name plate on it. "I know. I've been sleeping with this thing since I won it. I think Punk and Nacho are a little jealous." He chuckled with her at her revelation. She knew why he was checking on her and this random visit was one of many that she received from the roster, employees, even from her bosses. The next 24 hours were going to be anything but ordinary.

"I'm doing pretty great today," she said out of the blue, looking around for fans or reporters. "I mean, the only thing that scared me was watching Nacho barking at the garbage disposal all day yesterday in Punk's house. Other than that, everything is normal and I'll be just fine."

Stephen sighed. "Good. Kait had trouble sleeping after the show, so we just stayed up and watched some films. And then I put her to sleep the old fashion loving way," he nudged and AJ scoffed with a playful frown.

"I can't believe it's been a year already," AJ admonished.

"Neither can I," Stephen admitted in agreement. "I mean, today feels like a normal day. Still, I'm sure that Punk's pretty happy to be returning back to his home state after his last few months of absence last night. And now, he's back on Raw tonight. Are you ready?" he asked.

She bit her lip as they entered the arena and into catering. "They know how private I am about our relationship and then they asked us to not only have the story line together, but to team with him. Its sounds like pig's blood over my head. I didn't think they would book this match for a live show."

"Yeah, but being the guy's girlfriend, or the winner of the best in the world CM Punk costume contest, makes it a little interesting. People have been dying to pick up where you two left off last summer. It'll be exciting to see how it plays out since you two are so cute and privately together," Stephen teased as she scrunched her face at him.

April shook her head. "Hunter is using me to turn him face again and on top of that, Dolph is going to up the ante of having his creepy, sleazy, hipster's dream guy hands on me," she shuddered while frowning at the food choices.

"Besides, I don't know how he feels about teaming with me against Dolph after what he did at the house show two weeks ago." She winced as she thought of the huge backstage spat that happened after Dolph went off script and actually kissed her. It took her over an hour to brush her teeth and another to calm her man down from knocking the peroxide completely out of his hair.

"Well, in my opinion, and he'll love it. I'll love to see you two win….and kick little Dolphin boy's ass around a wee bit." AJ smiled at him and nodded. "Oh and..." he leaned over while looking around, causing her to curiously look with him. "You didn't here this from me, but… I heard he has something for you after the show."

"Yeah? And?" she shrugged while opening a bag of veggie chips and popped one in her mouth. "Punk always has something for me. I'm officially spoiled by him."

"Yeah, but this is something much better," Stephen urged as they took a seat near by. He started to laugh now, which made her really nervous. Then she caught onto why this was so important. "Stephen, what's going on?"

"Well…"

A hand quickly covered over his lips before he could continue as AJ rolled her eyes. "Open your mouth, and what happened when you woke up this morning won't happen for another month." Kaitlyn threatened as Stephen just frowned. After her hands left his lips, she kissed them, and then hugged her best friend before sitting with them.

AJ hoped he would ignore the warning, but instead he just laughed it off and kept cuddling with his girl. "You are so weak," AJ scoffed with a huge smile.

"You like my new shirt?" Kaitlyn asked, modeling a black tee with the words 'Love Bites' in pink and spidey-scripted font, along with AJ's name between a heart in a pink on the back.

"It's awesome." AJ humored. "Now, can I at least have a clue?" She asked Kaitlyn, who just shook her head smiling as well.

"Nope, just be showered and ready after your match."

* * *

"_You're watching Monday night Raw we are live from Grand Rapids. This is our main event here as Dolph Ziggler told AJ Lee if she could find a partner tonight, he'll help Tamina put her in check. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, CM Punk shocked us all by making his first appearance on RAW in months since the night after WrestleMania, and told Ziggler that he's willing to save his people from boredom, volunteered to be AJ's partner and she accepted it without asking any question," Cole informed as Raw returned from a commercial break._

Punk almost hit Dolph with a Roundhouse kick and Dolph ducked out, and quickly made the tag to Tamina.

"_Tamina gets the tag. Mixed Tag Rules apply here, so that means AJ gets into the ring. I can't believe AJ got Punk to be her partner. But as you saw earlier, Punk will do anything to get his hands on Dolph. Punk returned last night to help Randy Orton and Sheamus send The Shield packing officially."_

"_And that's not all, Michael. Punk made his intentions clear. He wants the World title from Dolph and announced that Booker T had added him to the Money in the Bank World Heavyweight Match as a start," _JBL mentioned as the match went on, with Tamina placing AJ in a hold, pressing her knee into her back. Punk kept yelling and clapping with crowd to get AJ motivated as she struggled out of her arms.

_King laughed. "I'm still impressed with AJ's progress since her return to the WWE. I mean, she win the Divas Championship at WrestleMania, the grandest stage of them all. It had to have been a dream come true for her, what with her wrestling in her home state, her entire family and friends sitting ring side. She even jumped over the barricade to hugged her mother and father, she was so over joyed and that match, even with Lita as the enforcer, was still a wonderful performance put on by AJ and Eve. She's got the talent, the heart, the spunk and the beauty. She's a pocket rocket."_

"_A what?" Cole snickered out._

"_A pocket rocket. You know, she's small but explosive…" _

"_Oh god King. First the washrags and now you're talking about pocket launchers and missles and shooter? Get it together man. The Cold War is over!" Cole and King laughed at JBL's analogy comparisons as he watched on. "AJ's a wild spitfire, you all know that. She pulled the moonsault out of a hat faster than a magician and Eve wasn't ready for it. That's how she won."_

"_She was a guest on the JBL and Cole show and talked about her new moves and techniques" Cole commented as they watch Tamina toss AJ around more. "She said she left after an injury last year and even went through some personal issues, but instead of letting that get to her, she decided to just change and better her in-ring skills. She left the country for a while and discovered she was good with a variety of grappling and MMA styles. She also trains down in our development camp NXT, where she says the future of the Divas is growing to be better. She's very skilled for a small woman in her preferred style. and she has done homework on her opponents."_

_Tamina then threw her into the corner and charged immediately, looking to hit her with a clothesline, but AJ ducked out and Tamina crashes chest hard into the turnbuckle. As Tamina turned her back to the corner and rested, AJ ran towards her, delivering a running high knee to Tamina. "That was unexpected. That looked like a CM Punk High knee," King pointed out._

_She held on to Tamina's head and looked back at Punk, sending him a wink as she then jumped down, Pulling Tamina down with an over the shoulder DDT. As Tamina hit the mat, AJ smiled towards Punk as she went for the pin. Punk chuckled, looking impressed as Dolph started yelling._

"_AJ is explosive all right. She goes for the pin and a kick out at two. Yeah, AJ has been impressive since her return. I just want to know what's going on with her and Punk. I mean, he has said in the past that he digs crazy chicks. And tonight, he's all over her and going against Vickie over what she said."_

_JBL scoffed in disgust as he watched the match. "Who cares about what Punk thinks? She's finally a champ, and now he decided to notice her again? I find it weird that he noticed her and told the WWE fans here that he thinks AJ is beautiful, ambitious, and talented when at one point, he was trying to avoid her. Punk just jumps in and says Vickie is just jealous of her and that Tamina is clearly threatened by her, when it may not even be the case." _

"_Well, who wouldn't be jealous of AJ? I mean, look at her; she's fun, energetic, spunky and very exciting in the ring. Plus, she has a very dedicated fan base, 800,000 strong on Twitter and a long line session at WM Axxess. Women hate it when someone is better than them and Punk is obviously proud of AJ," King spoke out as JBL groaned. _

"_Oh, please, Punk was never really interested in AJ, and now he's all bent out of shape when people pick on her. I hope AJ can see that he's nothing but trouble."_

"_But don't you think that Punk might just have a soft spot for her? Villains have a heart too. Maybe Brock knocked some sense back into him during their match at WrestleMania. You don't know what's going on between them," Cole pointed out."They did have a thing around this time last year, in fact, AJ helped him retained the WWE championship at No Way Out that June. Maybe he sees a change in her?"_

AJ hit Tamina with a Shining Wizard as the crowd cheered. She looked excited at Punk, who clapped for her, then told her to go for the pin again. This time, Vickie, who was at ringside, pulled AJ's leg, dragging her to the floor outside of the ring face first. Punk noticed and jumped to her defense by backing Vickie away from her. Vickie started begging for mercy as AJ crawled back in, only to have Tamina pulling her hair and throwing punches at her.

"_And look at Vickie just inserting herself in the match up and it helps Tamina get the upper hand," _King observed.

"_AJ and Tamina are still going at it. AJ's out on the mat as Tamina goes for her signature Superfly Splash. And oh, my! AJ rolls out of the way!" _Cole exclaimed.

While Tamina winced out in pain as AJ pulled her up, and performed a wheelbarrow DDT. Tamina turned over on her back, giving AJ the signal to run up to the ropes, bouncing up the turnbuckle to hit her other finisher.

"_This Double Jump Moonsault is what AJ calls the Ray of Light. She hits it!"_ Cole cheered. She went for the pin but Vickie jumped on the ropes to distract the ref. As AJ got the refs attention, she got into it with Vickie, shoulder tackling her in the gut, sending her reeling to the floor outside. By that time, Tamina was able to get the tag to Dolph, causing the Show Off to enter the ring and shove AJ aside. As AJ looked at Dolph with that trademark crazy stare of hers, she just listened to Dolph yell at her until she surprised him, as well as everyone else, immensely by slapping Dolph right across the face.

Dolph sold it well as AJ tapped Punk's hand, and Dolph turned around to focus on the match, but Punk already picked him up in a fireman's carry, waiting for the Grand Rapids crowd to get to their feet before hitting Dolph with the Go To Sleep.

"_GTS! This Michigan crowd is on their feet as Punk goes for the pin…he gets the win."_ Cole called as AJ jumped up in victory, causing Punk to laugh in amusement as she jumped back into the ring to raise a hand with him_. _

"_Well, Punk and AJ have won the match and not only did Punk win for a second night in a row, but the Divas Champion really excited to have another win over Vickie's camp." _AJ covered her mouth in shock as Phil praised her, looking for a high five from her. Instead, she jumped right into his arms, straddling herself on him as she beamed brightly. It made some people laugh to see Punk just smile awkwardly and high five his own hand, then hugging her back and spinning her around to celebrate.

What stunned the crowd more was seeing AJ pull her head back to stare at him softly before she pressed her lips against his, causing Punk to widen his eyes in amazement as she kissed him, in the ring, in front of a sold out crowd, a worldwide television audience...and every single woman or girl that was in love with CM Punk.

You could hear millions of hearts breaking all at once as they watched Punk wrap his arm around AJ's waist and back, holding her up as they continued to kiss as everyone-mostly guys-started chanting mixes of _"Yes!"_ and _"Crazy Chicks!", _respectively.

"_Well JBL, you still think Punk's hiding his affections for AJ?"_ King asked as they watch AJ jump down. She stared at Punk with a mortified blank expression. He just smiled softly and touched his lips. They kept their eyes locked for a few seconds, and then AJ tilted her head and gave him a cheerful, twisted smile.

"_Does Misery love company? Hell, Kathy Bates doesn't even know what this girl is thinking so I don't know what to think anymore!" _JBL snapped.

The ref handed her title back to her while Punk just frowned amusingly and confusingly. She even skipped circles around him once and exited the ring as her music hit. Punk looked back as she skipped backwards, looking at him with a devious playful smile.

"_That was some congratulatory kiss." _King remarked.

"_I think Punk's surprised at this point by that. We all are," _Cole observed with King laughing at the recap, watching Punk celebrate with his fans before watching her smile up the ramp.

"_Remember when Punk said he digs crazy chicks? Looks like AJ digs guys who dig crazy chicks."_

* * *

Punk kept high fiving with everyone in back on his good match, hoping to see the little Diva who laid the kisser on him in the ring after. He was so happy with the ending of it. He'd been wrestling for years, and he had plenty of comeback matches, but this had to be his favorite one.

Not only was he going for his fourth reign as World Heavyweight Champion, but his favorite girl teamed with him again and helped to rebuild his momentum upon his return. The fact that he got to have a storyline with her was like playing in the workplace. And that kiss just labeled this as official for them. Damn, it was awesome.

As he entered his locker room, he felt a pair of soft hands on his eyes and smiled. The peachy scent and soft skin created an urge of the sexual kind, and her giggles didn't make his boner tense down.

"Guess who?"

"Hmm. I'm going to say... Professor X," he incorrectly guessed purposely with a playful frown.

As she lightly shoved and pushed him, her bubbly laughter filled the room and he felt a pair of lips on his cheek right after. "It's me, smartass," she informed, smiling at him warmly. "So…how did I do?"

With a huge chuckling grin, he quickly grabbed her cheeks and crushed his lips with hers, moaning as she started kissing him back as she accepted the affection.

"I'm guessing I did a good job," she surmised.

"Of course you did. I mean, you put a huge target on my back for all the nerds who ever dreamt of dating you, and I'm pretty sure there are death-threatening tweets coming in for you as we speak but, hey, fuck 'em. That match was awesome," He praised as she beamed brightly.

"I know. I never that I'd would ever main event RAW again! And the push I'm getting feels great. I mean I have more fans, and people love the whole crazy chick thing again. And the best part of all is that now, we get to work together," she lamented gushingly.

"I know, but I hope these nerds online realize that you're taken." AJ raised an eyebrow as he growled his throat, almost sounding jealous. "I am the only guy that's crazy for you."

"Why?" she frowned at the comment curiously. "You don't think I'm attractive enough to have another guy all over me?"

He glared down at her as she inched herself closer to him, giving him a soft devious smile.

"Don't do that," he demanded.

"Do what?"

"You're trying to fuck with me now and I'm not falling for it. You're _my_ girl, and I'm not gonna stand for anyone breaking us apart." Punk tilted his head to the side and lets his cockiness show as she kept smiling. "Yeah, I said it."

"Hmm, say it again," She moaned as Punk pulled her closer.

"What?"

"What you just called me?"

"My lady?" AJ scrunched up her face and snickered more. "My baby, my number one diva, my official girl…" he pecked her with kisses all over her face and neck while talking. "Or do you want a pet name?"

"Phil…"

"Boo Boo," slowly, he lifted the shirt off her body and he placed a kiss on her clad shoulder. "Kitten, Babe" one on her cheek, "Cherry pie, Honey Bunny," one on her forehead, "OR we can go back to you being the Crazy Chick I dig."

"Oh god," she moaned again as he kept kissed her, pushing her to the nearest wall to keep balance.

"You're my girl. I'm one fucking happy man because of you. And _no one_ is going to ruin that," he whispered into her ear before kissing her again. It lingered a little longer and his hands traveled from her hips to her (actually his) ass. "I love you," is what he muttered against her lips.

"I love you too." She placed her hand over his stomach and pulling at the waist lines of his black, red and white Chicago flag tights. "You know you're the guy I want."

"Babe, don't go there. We have plans for the night…"

"What's the rush?" He was shocked that she had been even thinking of ditching their plans to wait just to make him feel better. It proved that she's really ready for them. And it was _really_ turning him on as well (the fact that her lips are against his ear, blowing her warm breath onto it and kissing them, happened to be the other cause of his arousal.)

"April…" She kept her lips near his and her hands traveled lower, tracing her nails against his hip dent lines slowly. She was trying to make him weak at the knees, and he for one was loving it. This would be the part where he would take over, but he couldn't bring himself to do it just yet. He wasn't going to let her do this in a locker room. "Let's get through tonight. We can handle this later, okay baby?"

She pulled herself away, beaming as she gave him one last kiss. "Okay. I just wish you guys would tell me what you're planning."

"Not all wishes come true, sweet cheeks. But your dreams have already, so be happy about that."

* * *

"We have yet to meet someone who can remember any words to this song other than the chorus, which is: "_Who let the dogs out? Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof_," Zack read from his seat with Layla and a bright smile as he scrolled through his phone. Colt, Kaitlyn both listened intensely as Stephen, Kofi, and Daniel snickered.

"The song does have verses and even a hint of meaning -_ the lyrics are about disrespectful men who hit on women at a party_," the Long Island native expressed, causing Kaitlyn to nod with a huge smile as Colt groaned in disappointment. "No its not!" Colt screamed out.

"The song is about ugly girls in a party, so says the Almighty Colt Cabana. So you are wrong, Mr. Ryder," Kaitlyn explained sarcastically as she raised her cup with a smile. "Mr. Cabana wins….NOT!"

"Are you guys really going to argue about this _every single fucking time _we go out?" Daniel asked with an amused smile.

"Until he stops trying to win over me, yep," she admitted.

"Okay so we have enough food and drinks, her favorite cupcakes and sweets are here and Chaleen should be on her way. Tonight is a fun night in so…stop fighting about stupid fucking music!" Amy chided, poking Colt in the sides.

They laughed as they saw the door open finally and AJ stepped inside with Phil, John, the Bella Twins and Layla behind her; she started to look astonished at what was around her.

"Phil, what happened to a nice dinner with the group?" She asked while hitting him playfully, causing everyone to cheer and laugh with her. Everyone she cared about was already comfortable and handling video controllers, ready to play with the Xbox on a huge flat screen.

"Well, I thought about it. But I thought we should spruce thing up a bit. Why eat in a dead ass restaurant after midnight when you can play and eat in a hotel room," he said while pointing at everything in the hotel room. "Since you love eating late and playing video games in your pajamas, we'll do it with you and officially declare it as _"AJ Appreciation Night"_ with all the food, soda and fun you want to have," he explained as everyone just agreed with him.

"And we all helped him put it together because," Kaitlyn began to say as she walked up to her best friend, pressing her lips together before saying something that really would break the sadness. "This is what we had planned last year on this date. It's what you wanted to do so we're doing it."

AJ bit her lip as she felt her eyes water up. Phil caught wind of it and pulled her into a hug from behind, pressing a kiss in as she smiled. "This year, we're gonna do this night right. You've come a long way Apple Jacks, and you deserve it," he told her with a soft resolve. "This is a celebration."

She nodded as Kaitlyn hugged her and Phil wrapped his arms around them both. "C'mon, group hug!" John shouted as everyone joined the fray, hugging AJ completely as she snickered with them.

"Okay, now get off my woman you losers. Off, off, off!" Phil yelled as AJ just cuddled with him again. "Let's get this party started!"

As AJ changed into her pajamas and assembled her WWE '13 team (Kaitlyn, Kofi, Colt, Punk and Amy) to match up against John's team (Nikki, Brie, Daniel, Stephen and Layla), the door knocked again and Zack answered, causing everyone to look back with concern.

"What are you guys doing?" Chaleen yelled as she entered the suite, looking annoyed and bothered. "Did you guys start without me because you know I hate that," she fused as they all frowned her way.

"Well, what the hell took you so long? We said right after you got the chance to leave the arena." Punk told her, causing his baby sister to point his way.

"Don't fucking start with me, pal," she sassed. "I'm hot, bothered and pissed that I had to drive two goddamn hours to pick up something for you so don't be an ass to me," she shouted as AJ frowned.

"Chaleen, I'm sorry…"

"No AJ, you have nothing to be sorry for. I did it for you so, be happy," Chaleen said, causing AJ to get confused by her words.

She didn't see her frown turn upside down after her statement. As Chaleen sat with her sisters, the sight of a familiar brunette and certain member of her family caught AJ's sight instead.

She screamed with joy as Eve ran over to her with Rener and Rose in tow. Both the girls hugged AJ and beamed with her as Phil joined them. "Eve…what...I can't even...you're here!" she pointed out incredulously as Eve just hugged Phil.

"Yeah well, I woke up in a cold sweat this morning when I remembered what today was. No matter how much I had to do today, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't deal with it alone," She admitted with a small smile. "So, I used up some miles left over, waited in standby, and flew here for this party."

"Yeah, and I didn't want to ride home alone. So Punk paid for my plane ticket, and I got to sit in a press box with Eve and Rener for Raw tonight," Rose chimed in, smiling as her baby sister shyly lowered her head.

"You saw all that?"

"I saw it, Phil's mom and sisters saw it...actually the four million viewers, plus Internet Smarks, plus Mom and Dad from home saw you make out with your man," Rose bragged.

"Good. I had fun making it happen," Phil said as he hugged Rose. He even picked her up as she giggled, making AJ smile at his welcome. "C'mon Rose, you're on my team…oh, sorry, make that _AJ's _team."

"Damn right, Brooks. Now get over here and help me kick some ass and win some matches!" AJ yelled happily as the whole room cheered in response, linking hands with Phil as everyone joined the fun.

* * *

**Nancy, Sam Cuddles, demented cupcakes, cenaliciousx, eva505, Raiden519, ghunter182003, RedFoxie, and xLifeFullOfLaughterx:** Thanks for the support and the reviews. Maize, you are my sunshine...but I want another chapter of **Love, Honor and Glory** like...yesterday. LOL Extreme Rules was okay. The Chickbusters busting down each other wasn't in the ring, but the backstage build-up should lead up to a title match soon I hope. And Yes, I will be sporting AJ's tee as soon as it drops to show how happy I am to see a another Jersey girl make it. I miss Punk and Dolph, they are my other reasons for watching, but I hope I'm not the only one happy about the Shield having the titles. It's like epic!

With only 2 chapters left, The story ends on a romantic note for all. Wait and see.

**P.S: Story two is now in progress.**

Besos.


	40. Now is a Gift called the Present Pt 2

The night was long and filled with fun, and the gang still hung out in their hotel room, making noise, rocking out, and having a grand old time deep into the night, and into the wee hours of the morning. They ate, some drank, and all joked around as their best of the best _WWE '13 _tournament for the WWE Championship ended with AJ's team coming out on top. They all entered the street for a while and hung out, still laughing and having fun as the night continued.

"Oh yes! I told you! It's still out here!" Layla gasped as she ran ahead of everyone, stopping in front of the soft serve Ice Cream truck, shine bright and running still on the corner open. "It tastes so wonderful, and they have tons of favors!"

"You really shouldn't cheat your diet, Lay," Zack tried to reason until Layla covered her finger on his mouth.

"Shush, darling; not now: I'm choosing between chocolate dipped and sprinkle coated." Layla smiled brightly before turning back to the menu.

"Time is so gone. It's almost 4 in the morning. We have a show tomorrow and wishes to make," Kaitlyn said, walking up with Stephen, Kofi and John.

AJ nodded as she hugged them all. "Yeah. But still, I had a great time with guys. Thank you so much for hosting this party!" she exclaimed gratefully as everyone smiled her way.

"You needed it, kid. Now that the case is done and your place in the WWE is securely were it needs to be, this was a great way to celebrate," John urged.

"And it was worth it. You've been nothing but happy since your comeback. We are all proud of you shorty," Kaitlyn complimented, then snickered out as AJ scoffed at the sniping nickname at the end of her praise. "If there anything else you want now that you have it all?"

"I saw they had Carmel, AJ. I doubt it's like King Kone trucks in New York, but I still got you one sis," Rose said as AJ gasped at the cone, watching the amount of nuts and syrup dripping off from it.

"You _do_ love me!" she gushed, taking her cone and licking it quickly for a taste. "Oh, my gosh, this is heaven," she moaned happily.

"Okay, I'm head to the hotel with the Bellas. I'll crash with them for the night. But I will see you all tomorrow before I leave," Eve said as she hugged AJ and Phil.

"Is anyone coming back with me to the city? I hate driving alone." Chaleen admitted shyly as she waved her phone.

"We'll join you," Amy said while Colt snorted out. Phil stopped moving, and then gave his favorite BFFs an interested glare as she shook her head. "Shut up. Not a damn word from you," the redhead warned.

"So you two are going to stay at the studio apartment, eh?" Punk joked as Amy slapped him softly with a smile.

"It's better than hearing you two make out all damn morning," she volleyed back, feeling Colt wrap his hand around hers and pull on. "We're coming to your house in the morning, but tonight, we'll head back to Chicago and Rose will sleep with Chaleen."

"I am down with that." Rose agreed, nodding with Chaleen as Phil just frowned.

"Why? She's staying with us at the house."

"Yeah, and she'll need to be out for one night," Amy repeated, looking at Phil with hinting wide eyes and a devious grin.

"It's 3:30 on a Tuesday morning. By the time we all get back, it'll be almost five. She can't see shit this early," Phil said, still not catching on.

Colt had to physically move Phil's head to show him what his girlfriend was doing. With Layla and Rose standing by and talking, AJ was enjoying the soft cold sweet treat. She was _really_ enjoying it. Her eyes closed lightly before she brought it to her face; her clean tongue removed the toppings with one smooth upward motion; her lips covered it as she attempted to knock it down and savory the taste in her mouth. She wiped the sticky substance from the corners of her lips as her eyes rolled with pleasure.

And she could be heard moaning after each lick. And she licked it. A lot. It was hard to miss.

Poor Zack, who just opened a bottle of water, didn't quite let the liquid hit his lips as he watched her, causing it to spill on his shirt. "Aw, fuck," He cursed out, causing John and Kofi to laugh at him as well.

Luckily, Phil not only caught onto his friend's hand in help, but the desire to bitch slap Zack was over powered by the growing stiffness in his pants.

"Here." Phil took a small fold of twenties and handed it to Amy. "If she's hungry, feed her in a diner. Take as long as you can." Phil didn't even hug them as he approached AJ, taking her hand and leaning her to his bus with his hand on her lower back.

"He's gonna have himself some fun," Colt observed with a cheesy smile.

"Of course," Amy agreed. "And so will she."

* * *

Two in a half hours later, they entered his Chicago house and Punk noticed the moon finding its way into the home by shining through the windows, its rays bouncing onto AJs body, showcasing her in a heavenly glow. She dropped her bag with a groan and yawned, turning to him as she pulled the ponytail holder off and shook her hair with a tainted, and very sleepy, smile.

Phil dropped his bag as well, smirking slightly as she walked to the window to eye it. He loved how beautiful, how calm, and how happy she was tonight. Simply, she looked wonderful and better than she had ever been. She probably felt even better after tonight, but what Punk was aiming for was to have her to be on Cloud Atlas with him.

"Thank God for the moon." she moaned with a deep inhale.

"Yeah, it's beautiful." he said with his eyes fully on her. Once he finally approached her, his arms wrapped around her body, locking a soft hold as he kissed her cheek. "It's beautiful, just like you."

"You aren't so bad looking yourself. But thank you." she returned with a bright smile, following his lead as he turned her around.

AJ kissed him. But, this romantic display of affection had a lot more passionate than the one they shared in the ring earlier, and as she pressed her body against him she moaned, enjoying the sensation of feeling him grow against her.

The taste of sugar and salt was addictive. Phil dipped his tongue into her mouth to taste more, lowering his hands down her back slowly while her hands rested on his shoulder for security. He bent his knees slightly, wrapping his arms around her firmly but gently, then straightened up and lifted April off the floor. Her legs immediately encircled his waist, and they stood like that kissing passionately for a moment.

Then AJ, in her own fashion, locked her legs around him securely. Phil, in response, let his hands impulsively go to her back to support her, and soon they began to roam all around her body; he rubbed her shoulders, massaged her lower back, and then gently squeezed her muscular, but lovely firm ass.

Phil made sure his tattoo covered hand went under her t-shirt when they traveled back up, so that he could feel her hot, cocoa skin. AJ broke the kiss long enough to pull her shirt up and off in one fluid motion, then bent back down to resume kissing. Seemingly of its own accord, Phil's hand immediately went to the clasp and adroitly unsnapped her bra, leaving it hanging off her shoulders, exposing her breasts in the process.

AJ's breath hitched, causing him to pull back cautiously. He looked into her eyes and frowned. "Sorry...I should have asked if..." he started to say as he took hold of the bra, trying to keep it on her. "I mean, if you don't want to right now…" He began to fluster his words a little, looking into her eyes softly and hoping she wouldn't actually back down.

When a shy smile spread across her face, AJ merely eased the bra off her shoulders. "I do," she whispered. "Make me feel as good as you always do."

Phil nodded at the request, pulling her back and sat up to allow the lace material to fall free from her arms. He managed to walk with her still straddling him, approaching his bedroom door as they locked lips once again. Taking full advantage of her back's position against her wall, Phil cupped her breasts in his big, gentle hands and massaged them. He ran his thumbs over the nipples, thrilling as they hardened under his touch.

Phil then leaned forward and kissed each nipple, then licked and sucked on them both. AJ's breasts were on the medium side, but the nipples were nice and suckle, and very responsive. Judging from her quickened breathing and half lidded eyes, Phil also guessed correctly that they were very sensitive.

A few minutes later, AJ jumped down while Phil took a break kissing her breasts, now making sure that he was kissing her _mouth_ instead now, following his path to his bed as he held her. As their tongues played together, Phil slowly laid her down softly as he massaged her body slowly. His right hand roamed down her tummy, trailing his hand along her jean pants hems before AJ began to tug away at his shirt.

Phil reluctantly moved his hands away from her lovely shaped body and stood up so she could pull it off. Both of them were naked now from the waist up, and instantly went back to kissing. This time, Phil's hand trailed down her stomach again, and when it got to the waistband of her jeans zipper, he waited for her to unbutton and unzip her own pants.

He tugged her jeans away from her body, keeping his eyes locked on hers the whole time he laid on the bed beside her. When she started to moan softly, he pushed his hand in further, until he was under her panties, and was touching the bare spot right at the top of her vulva. One more gentle push, and his hand was fully in, and he had complete access to her warm, moist opening.

"You alright, baby?" he whispered, sliding his finger along her lips, which were swollen with excitement as she whimpered from the touch of his hands. He gently probed at her opening, eliciting a small gasp and a quick buck of her hips. AJ's head nodded, then she rolled her eyes back as he played with her, but snapped up in pleasure when he found her hard, exposed nub. After just a short time of playing, April exhaled and shuddered against him, a sign of her first orgasm.

"Mmm," she smiled, eyes still closed. She leaned forward into Phil and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you enjoyed that," he answered, chuckling. He wondered if that was to be the end of the encounter. AJ didn't look very anxious to resume any more activity. Just as he was wondering if she'd fallen asleep, she raised her head and planted another sensual kiss on his lips.

She stood up and he watched on; standing with a smirk as she turned to the bed and pulled the spread down, then sat and pushed herself to the middle of the bed. "Take those pants off," she purred, "and come join me."

Phil could help but grin like the Chesire Cat himself as he took his jeans off, but left his boxer-briefs on. When he crawled into bed next to her, she laid back as Phil stretched out beside her, resting on his left arm and looking down into her face.

"You look beautiful when you're smiling this radiantly," he breathed softly. "I'm so happy that all this bullshit is behind us. I feel like we get to be at peace together."

"So am I. I was so excited about you coming back that I figured out what I want to do in the morning to really celebrate," she told him, almost giddy in tone.

"Yeah?" he asked, watching her blush as she sat up.

"I had the guy draw the preview for me this morning. I'm surprise you didn't notice it." She turned her back and tucked her hair away from back, showing him words that were new and bolded in Latin: the first part stating _XVI Iunii MMXII_, and the remainder reading _Facti sumus fortiori._

"I'm guessing the first part is June 16th of 2012," he figured out.

"Correctomundo. And the next part says 'we became stronger'," she finished. Her devilish smile made Phil's heart beat a little faster.

"We sure did baby," he said, bending down to kiss her. "You are strong. And I am nothing but proud of you," he muttered against her lips. He nuzzled AJ's neck and nibbled at her ears, all the while massaging her breasts and rolling her nipples between his thumb and finger. He kissed his way down her neck, to her chest, and kisses certain parts of her body that made her writhe and giggle in his arms, again reaffirming the sensitivity of her skin that he loved so much. Continuing down, he kissed her stomach and sides, his beard moving all and across the soft, silky-like areas.

AJ had to suppress the stifling fits of giggling squealing laughter (and failed to do so), indicating her surreal ticklishness that Phil knew all about as he crept closer and closer to her belly button, then beyond. When he reached the waist of her panties, Phil hooked his fingers in them, and proceeded to tug them down...then off.

April lifted her butt to help, then pulled her legs up to help the clothes come off entirely. Suddenly, Phil found himself looking at the most sexy petite frame he'd ever seen. While her legs were still up and together, Phil lightly separated them and caressed one of her smooth inner legs and holding her strong leg straight up. The sensation made her roll her hips and arch her back up eagerly. After blowing around it softly, he leaned own and gave her one slow, wet lick from bottom to top. April shivered at the feeling.

Phil released AJ's legs and she spread them wide, planting the soles of her feet flatly on the frame of his shoulders. Using his thumbs, he spread her lips and lapped at the moisture pooling in her hole. Her body nectar was beyond sweet, and Phil drank it like a man dying of thirst. He licked upwards and focused on her clit, and concentrated his efforts there as he inserted first one then two fingers in her hot and slick vagina. She was so tight, but so wet he could massage her with his fingers without any issues.

April was in pure bliss, loving the attention Phil was smothering her when it came to making love. She couldn't remember the last time she had someone do this for her. Phil never shied away from it, seemingly loving the feel and taste of her. When he started licking her clit, AJ felt her second orgasm building, only this one she could tell would be stronger than the first.

Phil used his now soaking wet fingers and continued pumping her vagina with his fingers and licking her clit, feeding of the sounds of her pleasure filled purring and excessive breathing. The sensation was too much for AJ, and she started spamming, squeezing both of his fingers with her, and bucking her hips up to get more pressure on her clit from his tongue.

She panted, "Oh, God. Oh, God. Phil!" and continued to moan loudly. She tensed and arched her back, letting out one long, loud gasp, holding her breath with her eyes closed, and then she shuddered and collapsed back on the bed, catching her breath.

Honestly, it was so fucking _hot _for Phil to watch how April reached her peak like this.

Phil continued licking gently around her clit, but April grabbed him on either side of his head and pulled him up to her. He left a trail of kisses along the way, pausing to lick and suck each nipple once more, before reaching her face. "Is it good for you, babe?" he asked her.

"It's more than good, baby. It's great," She exhaled, nodding with her lips puckered softly.

Finally, AJ grabbed his waistband and pulled his underwear off, with some of his help. He crawled out and, then flung them behind him.

Phil wasn't hung like a horse, by any means, but he was more than fairly adequate when it came to length, which pleased April greatly. The underwear tapered slightly along the length to the perfect mushroom shaped head, which was a little thicker than the shaft. She bit her lip as he reached for protection and rolled it on gently.

"You okay?" he queried out of concern

"I think you know the answer to that," she sighed out as he nodded, watching the fear in his eyes cease to exist. She really just wanted to be with him. After the first encounter they had days ago, Phil couldn't blame the burning desire she had for him these days.

With him positioned above her and between her legs, she could feel his need against her moist opening. She moaned again as he wrapped his hands on her hips and massaged her again, feeling the moisture again with his hardened member. This only elicited more moans from her. Then, surprising even herself, she growled and wrapped her legs and arms around his lithe body, silently begging for more. She felt him shift within her grip to oblige to her soundless demands.

AJ growled in frustration but said, "I want you Phil," hoping that he would be reassured. She felt a pressure between her legs, causing her to instinctively tense up, but eventually she forced herself to relax. Then soon after, she felt him enter her, his member feeling through the walls of her center. At first, she shuddered at the feeling, but soon she relaxed into it, and a void was being filled by him with one gentle, thoughtful, and passionate push. She felt the wetness milk him as he moved carefully at a loving pace.

Having him touch her gently, his finger gently tangling and massaging through her long hair, kissing her in-between motions as he whispered positive anythings in her ears and lock eyes with her, showing how focused he was on making her feel good again and them together made her want moments like her forever.

She felt complete. She could hear him groan in pleasure as their bodies warped together in a lustful dance. She knew Phil would be an amazing lover, but she had never imagined it being _this _amazing _all _the time. He timed his thrusts with her movements and alternated between sucking and biting her skin around the shoulders and breasts.

She felt him dig his nails softly into her hips as he begin kissing her neck, flicking his tongue over racing pulse before leaving his mark there. All the while she felt herself getting closer and closer to the edge as he continued to thrust into her. "Phil," she exhaled breathlessly, feeling her muscular give up and clutch before releasing against him.

"I feel it baby," he groaned in response.

Soon, they both reached their limit, and screamed each other's names into the now peaceful morning air. He kissed her more, shuddering out one more thrust as she release her nails from his back. Phil just stayed there, not letting his weight crush her as he leaned on his side a little. "Wow," he breathed out after a drawn out moment.

"I know," she agreed, smiling at him before saying, "It just gets better everytime."

"Yeah, because weren't acting like two virgins," he joked, pressing a kiss into her forehead as she snuggled closer to her.

"I'm just happy we made it this far," AJ stated, leaning into him as they wrapped into one another and watched the sun rise from the room's window. "I don't know how far I would have made it without you."

"You have yourself to thank for that, babe," Punk mentioned. "I just stood by and watched you grow, and I watched you recover. I know we had a lot of ups and downs getting to where we are, but in the end, it was all worth it. You mean the world to me and I'm proud of you."

AJ rubbed her hand on his, then kissed him and said, "I'm proud of you too."

"Yeah?"

She nodded and added, "I just thankful you stuck by me from the start."

It hit her as she said it, and which he kissed her again and drifted off to sleep with her. Her life was perfect. Finally...she had it all. And while it took a night of horror to seemingly bring out the best in her, her life had, at last, taken a turn for the best. This time, she didn't have a Drew haunting her dreams, turning them into torturous nightmares. That night, April Jeanette Mendez just slept peacefully with her loving and adoring Phillip Jack Brooks by her side.

She didn't feel weak anymore. She knew that her future was bright, and with her man by her side, as well as with the support all of their friends and loved ones with them as well, AJ would fight tooth and nail to remain stronger than ever.

* * *

How long did they last after all this time? With One chapter left, we find out if they weathered through the storm long enough together.

Nancy, Sam Cuddles, eva505, xLifeFullOfLaughterx, Raiden519, Red Foxie. Thanks for letting me know how awesome I am for writing this. You showed my baby how cute she is and she's in love with you all. Ed and I are at work with the next story so sit tight and enjoy the Summer of AJPunk.

P.S: anyone up for a one shot Punklee Challenge?


	41. In the End, I'm Still Into You

_Can't count the years on one hand  
that we've been together  
I need the other one to hold you  
Make you feel, make you feel better_

_It's not a walk in the park_  
_to love each other_  
_But when our fingers interlock,_  
_Can't deny, can't deny you're worth it_  
**_'Cause after all this time, I'm still into you_**

**Three Years Later**

AJ bobbed her head around and tapped her nails to the beat as she drove towards her Tampa home after a long week on tour. The Paramore single was very relevant to the crazy, exciting and beautiful life with her special guy, so having it on the playlist was a must. She smiled as she pulled her car into the driveway, slowly looking around before entering the house, and turning on her locks and alarm for the night.

After living in the two story Tampa home for the last three years, she found her back home routine to be both refreshing and exhausting. It went through a lot of family get togethers, heartwarming holidays, silly agreements, and even survived a hurricane. Living in Chicago has been amazing as well and its own share of perks, but this house was a strong place, and getting back to the people she loved and cared for, and the man she shared a bed with here, made every plane ride back an eager one.

With a yawn and a smile, AJ toed off her Chucks as she slowly trekked in her now sock-covered feet through her kitchen to her family room, which had been filled with photos on the wall of everyone who mattered and the memories made in the house. Taking a gander into the room, she caught a glimpse that warmed her heart. Rose was sleeping, along with Phil's sisters Chez, Cassie and Chaleen, on the couches while a movie played, and Nacho was cuddled in between them. Instead of waking them up, AJ merely laid the throw blankets on them and turned the TV off, calling for Nacho to follow her up the stairs and into his own bed for the night.

As she slowly entered the bedroom, she made a mental note to herself to try and not cause so much noise, so not to wake the man of her dreams who was slumbering quietly. She turned on the cool air, placed her championship belt on her dresser, walked pass the door to her bedroom balcony, and smiled at the star-twinkled sky, excited about the Summer Kickoff party that was soon coming up ahead, and to be held at the house.

After a quick shower to help freshen up, AJ clothed herself in a simple ribbed black tank top with red shorts as her bottoms, making them her own "PJ's" for the evening. She then slipped in bed, pulled her sheets close and let her long dark brown locks hit the pillow, but then shortly thereafter feeling a strong arm pull her close.

"Oh, sorry about that, honey. I knew I woke you up. Didn't mean to do that," she moaned as his lips kissed her neck and shoulders.

"You know I don't sleep. Especially without _you_ here," he muttered back, hearing her giggle before he turned her body around to face him completely.

"Ditto," she said back with a smile, kissing him before she spoke more. "How did today go?"

"It was awesome. Colt, Rob and I took your Dad with us to do the last of the shopping. The important essential stuff, like the pool area and the lawn stuff came on time, and our mothers and sisters started prep-cooking for the big party," he stated with a smile.

"Oh, and one other thing, dear," he playfully cooed, causing her to laugh some more as he sat up. "I walked Nacho, cleaned the yard, sent the bills and I didn't forget to take out the trash," he finished, looking back at her with a huge grin. "See. I'm doing a great job with this man of the other house thing."

"Ooh, bravo. I guess you want some kind of lifetime achievement medal for that, right?" she sardonically quipped.

"Are you trying to be a smartass right now?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"So what if I am? What are you gonna do about it, Mr. Man of the House?" she volleyed back in a daring tone.

_That _confirmed his question for him, so with a valiant cry of "You're gonna fucking get it now, missy!" Phil dug his fingers into AJ's ribs, and began to tickle her fiercely. AJ laughed gleefully and moved about desperately as she tried to get away from Phil's fingers, as they were locked themselves into her armpits and sides as if they were claws of a falcon clinging to a rooftop. She had no initial intention of pleading for this torture to end, knowing it would give him smug satisfaction, but as he moved his hands directly to her stomach, focusing more around the area of her belly button, it was too much for her to take.

"Oh, God, please stop! Not there! Oh, please, please, _please _stop! Fucking stop it, please!" were her frantic and rapid pleas for mercy as she shrieked with squirming giggles and howling laughter.

Phil, who was not contempt yet, continued, egging on and milking her torment by slyly asking, "Are you gonna say I did it a good job around the house?"

"Yes, yes, I will! Please stop!" came her laugh-filled response. Phil, now fully satisfied, came to a stop with his rigorous tickling, letting AJ catch her breath and regain her energy after nefarious activity. After about a minute of this, he calmly rubbed her now sweat-covered head in a tender manner, taking in how homely she looked at that moment.

"I wasn't too rough there, was I?" he queried.

"No, it was fine. A little fun even," she admitted. "But in all seriousness, I never doubted you for a second, baby. You do a wonderful job whenever I'm out the house," she praised, now spooning with him.

"You're not just saying that to butter me up and to get me to stop tickling you, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I really mean it. Doing all that stuff in a place like this, mostly on your own, for a huge bulk of the day can be pretty draining. Trust me, I know from experience," AJ expressed to him. Slightly adjusting her body so that she could look up and see his face, she continued on by saying, "Thanks, baby. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," he volleyed back with a smile of his own.

With a relieved sigh leaving her lips, AJ relaxed back into Phil's arms and changed the subject by saying, "I can't believe we get to tell everyone tomorrow. Only the people that matter of course. Everyone else will find out on the dirt sheets. That should shut down the rumors."

"Hey, I told Rosenberg this when he asked me Monday so I'll tell you the same: Fuck the smarks," was what Phil bluntly stated, which inadvertently caused a quick chortle out of AJ's mouth. He continued on. "If you're still skipping out there with an extra pep in your step, it should answer the question. Retired or not, I'm still here Apple Jacks."

"I know Punky, I know," AJ said, seeing a bit of relief leave Punk's sigh as he talked about his new life, which caused her to reminisce briefly on what had happened in their lives over the years. After being put over by The Undertaker, an honor he so graciously accepted, at WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans, he used that momentum to help springboard his way into winning the Royal Rumble the very next year. And after headlining what would turn out to be his last WrestleMania, which fittingly came in his hometown of Chicago, en route to becoming a three time WWE champion, he laid the belt in the center of the ring and retired from the business in November that year, leaving his impact, legacy, and rebellious voice of a generation behind.

But retirement from Professional Wrestling didn't stop Phil from being out and alive. Recently, he spent time at the NXT camp whenever he was in Florida, and started helping at his old wrestling school back in the Windy City just to have share his knowledge. He also started writing, appeared on multiple media outlets, such as ESPN, the Score in Canada, and Ariel Helwani's talk show, to talk about everything Wrestling and MMA related, and still made sparse special attraction appearances on Raw from time to time. But he was enjoying the retired life everywhere he went, and mostly supporting his lovely lady April, like before.

He kissed her forehead and started a path down her shoulder as she closed her eyes. "I really miss you," he whispered intimately.

"I know. I did too," she agreed, pressing a kiss on his cheeks as he smiled.

"We're gonna shut all the critics up tomorrow," he promised, to which AJ moaned in delight and intertwined with him. "Anything I can do to help you relax makes me happy," he spoke truthfully, rubbing his fingers across her lips and chin softly before kissing her, and then moving his body over hers with a soft wicked smile.

"Punk, I don't know we can do this tonight. I mean, we do have a huge morning ahead of us," AJ tried to reason, but Punk kept going her body, as she talked in a soft voice. "We have to set up, and make sure everyone gets here," he moaned in agreement and she tried not to make a noise while he spread her legs apart. "…and …and you have to pick up….some stuff…." Before he could even start, she laughed. "Alright, fine. Get up here." She pulled him up and he kissed her slowly, stripping the barriers of clothing stopping her and waited for her to open her eyes at him.

"I love you so much, Phil" she said breathlessly.

"I love you too, April," he replied, kissing her forehead before continuing. "And I can't wait to show everyone how much I do."

* * *

_Recount the night that_

_I first met your mother_

_And on the drive back to my house_

_I told you that, I told you that I loved ya_

_You felt the weight of the world_

_fall off your shoulder_

_And to your favorite song_

_we sang along to the start of forever_

**_And after all this time, I'm still into you_**

By the afternoon, everyone who was invited showed up on time and ready for a big pool party, mingling and smiling along greatly. When Phil called for everyone's attention, as he was about a huge announcement, AJ walked the family over to sit with hers and Phil's family, then gathered the small party of friends, the ones who stuck by AJ and Phil through all of her ordeal, to join them.

As Everyone picked up medium white boxes label with their names on them, AJ stood next to Phil, looking at the patio as Phil raised his cup of Pepsi and held her close to him.

With his eye to her, he winked, which caused her to blush. He couldn't get over her since the day he fell in love with her. From her long hair and natural tan tone, to her curved athletic figure and Converse decked feet, he was still in love with it all. She had grown up and matured over the years and displayed more class and confidence than ever before. She enrolled in school online to earn a degree, and started getting into more dresses and heels when it was time to be fancy, but still showed her tomboy style when she wanted.

She was his Wonder Woman. He watched her fight for her own life and get stronger along the way. He could feel her love for him and can see that she was his biggest fan. Now was the perfect time to show the people who had sided with them since day one how much he truly cared.

After a little heart filled speech from them and a humored convo with the group around them, AJ informed them of the gifts given and Phil nodded, then walked away and laid with her in a cabana with a relaxed sigh. "I call my girls to blow first." He whispered.

"No way. You know Rose loves gifts, so she's going to show what's in hers before anyone else," she contended, laying her wavy hair on the pillow and walked her fingers along the dated _'We Became Stronger' _tattoo they had in common along his shoulder bone. Phil dug into his swim trunk pocket, watching AJ smile with him as he placed the item on her hand slowly.

They sat up and turned heads to the group, watching Punk's sisters jump up and down screaming with AJ's sister in the room. AJ's mother was smiling with her father in tow, and even Phil's mom started crying. AJ stood up as Rob ran to her, picking up his little sister and spinning her around laughing with the gift still in his hand.

"You want me, of all people, to be your best man?!" Colt screamed excitedly moments later, chuckling as he waved his chocolate bowtie in his hand. Phil opened his hand with his head nodding, watching Colt shake his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you didn't tell me. You unbelievable son of a bitch!" Colt exclaimed again, hugging his best friend as they laughed together.

"What the hell is this?" Amy questioned curiously, holding up the message card and a blue ring pop in a red velvet box. Layla, Kaitlyn and Eve followed her out with their gifts open to the same thing as everyone else joined them outside.

"So you're telling me that you're throwing this cookout...as an engagement party?" Daniel asked with a huge smile.

Either they were really excited or they couldn't believe that they were about to witness the most unpredictable thing in CM Punk's world to ever happen. Everyone was waiting for an answer as Phil smiled on. Once AJ lifted her ring hand, her huge cushion cut diamond ring flashed them brightly.

It had three stones; the huge clear ones being surrounded by little green stones on the band. The sight of it made everyone freak out with sheer happiness. The girls were screaming with pure joy as they embraced AJ, and the guys were congratulating Phil, while whooping and hollering, and taunting him playfully. The two of them just accepted it all with a huge laugh.

Layla, Kaitlyn and Eve kept the questions coming for AJ, while Phil's sisters all punched him around for not saying anything to them, while AJ's mom simply kissed Phil's cheek, smiling as she hugged him and her dad winked, knowing that he gave his daughter's hand to the right man.

Amy, who knew since the proposal happened in a forest near her Costa Rica home during the post WrestleMania vacation, gladly accepted the Ring Pop bridesmaid proposal. Along with Punk's sisters, Kaitlyn, Layla, Eve, Lena and Rose, who was given a special green Ring Pop and message on why she was the maid of Honor. Kofi, Robert, Daniel, Sheamus, Rener, Joey, Luke, and (at AJ's request) John all accepted the groom bowtie chocolate bars to be in Punk's party, with Colt as the best man. Other people needed to be asked, but couldn't make the party. Their proposals were to be delivered later on.

"That's a _really_ huge diamond. Let's see whose is bigger," John teased them as he lifted AJ's hand, and then reached for Kaitlyn's handcrafted orange diamond gold ring from Stephen, looking closely with a playfully interested frown and sigh. Phil and Stephen both shook their heads, knowing their engagement rings were a hefty investment.

"Oh nope, mine still looks better," Daniel boasted but confirmed, flashing his diamond platinum band with a teasing grin.

AJ chuckled as Kaitlyn slapped his hand off. "We all can't have a man-gagement like you and Brie have, Goatface. We all know who she stole it from," AJ praised as she pointed to herself.

"I know. Either way, welcome to the club, kiddo." Daniel said as he and his one-time (On-Screen) girlfriend hugged, signifying how far _they_ had come on this journey, respectively.

"We're happy too," Phil said, kissing his now betrothed beloved once again as Colt gave Amy his gift and tapped all the guys in the room on the shoulder. Phil handed AJ his phone quickly, then immediately started running away from the group.

"What are they doing?" Cassie asked, laughing with Rose and her sisters.

"Since Punk said he'll get married and erupt into flames, Colt said that they would toss him in the pool so it doesn't happen," AJ waved her hand around nonchalantly, while the others chuckled at this.

Punk ran out of places to run as he tried to enter his house and failed. Soon, the guys picked him up as he struggled, carrying him sacrificial style and carefully tossing him in the pool, causing a huge splash and wetting all the girls poolside.

"Congrats guys!" Kofi yelled, raising AJ's hand as everyone cheered, still clapping for them as Punk hopped out laughing at himself and everyone's cheers.

* * *

_Some things just, some things just make sense  
and one of those is you and I (Hey)  
Some things just, some things just make sense  
and even after all this time (Hey)_

**I'm into you, baby not a day goes by**  
**that I'm not into you**

Later into the night, AJ looked around her grass shaved backyard with a satisfied and content smile, happy that her friends and family were all happy for her and for themselves also. As everyone took a firework stick from Rob and Chez, carefully holding it as they lit it up and watched the sparks fly as Punk wrapped his arm around her and kissed her.

She watched Kaitlyn and Sheamus cheer while in a loving embrace next to Eve and Rener, Amy resting her head on Colt's shoulder as he kissed her head, Layla twirling her stick around like a wizard with a wand, teaming with John and Daniel in a battle against Joey and Kofi, her siblings and Punk's sisters, all laughing and scream with joy and the parents laughing at the sight. Everything was officially awesome and quite fulfilled in AJ's life, and she couldn't help but feel lucky for all she had, and still had yet to come.

_I should be over all the butterflies  
But I'm into you (I'm into you)  
And baby even on our worst nights  
I'm into you (I'm into you)  
Let 'em wonder how we got this far  
'Cause I don't really need to wonder at all  
Yeah after all this time I'm still into you_

"You feeling alright there, April?" her new fiancé asked.

"Absolutely, Phil," she moaned with a grateful smile, taking in everything around her and him as it had all come full circle. "I'm more than excited. With you in my life, I'm stronger now more than ever before."

"You were stronger before I locked you in. I just fell in love with you as it happened," he corrected, as he placed a long passionate kiss on her lips as everyone waved the fireworks around happily and watched them light up the sky.

In that regard, it was symbol of how all of their lives had evolved and changed, and how the end of one story marked the beginning of another.

**_Yeah after all this time I'm still into you_**

**_I'm still into you_**

**_I'm still into you_**

**_I'm still into you_**

Fin…

* * *

Well, there it is. I leave it here on the strongest note possible, it's up to you to guess what happens next.

I want to thanks each and every still follower, reviewer, and reader of this story. It was a lot of work and a huge creative outlet for me. I'm sad to see it end, but I'm happy to see how far it got with all of you. People that have been here since the start and joined the ride up until now _**(UnbelievinglyRandom, Jean-theGuardian, DemonicXaliv, Kelzo85, Maizeandbluekid, MyChaosTheory, Red Foxie, xLifeFullOfLaughterx, White Firebird, ConchaaRex, eve505, Redheaded Bandgeek, The Galick Gunner, starsxhearts23, sazbelle, AmandaEchelon, DoubleDee068, Raiden519, xxFeistyxx, Sam Cuddles, TrissKins, .young, ghunter182003... Every Guest and anyone I forgot here!) **_I bow to you.

Maizeandbluekid and icebabesfire looked it over and helped me perfect it so thanks guys. To my Punklees family members, this isn't the last you've seen from me. my next story is just as dramatic and romantic as this one, so follow me cause this bus is still running on crazy. Until I return the following stories should keep you company: **Desperate Measures by MyChaosTheory, The Eternal Power Of Love by lilcmpunkfan, Dream Come True, Soul Searchers 'La Rencontre Fatale' Book Three (both are by Red Foxie), My life was simple, and then I met you by Red Foxie and White Firebird, All For Love by Kelzo85, Natural Dynamite by Raiden519, Love, Honor & Glory by Maizeandbluekid and or course, the story that inspired me to aspire in writing, Hard to Handle by Jean-theGuardian.**

I will be looking forward to the return of our savior CM Punk against Jericho, and the New Divas Champion being crowned (Or for Kaitlyn to lose her shit and cause a DQ, leading for AJ to remain Number one contender till MITB...either one would make me happy cause this Divas feud is fuckin...AWWWESOMEEE!)

Until the next mayhemic journey,

Besos.


End file.
